In 2028, active NFL players will be eligible to participate in the Los Angeles Olympics (provided the necessary arrangements can be made, of course). That has led to plenty of speculation about how international rosters will shake out, something which could sideline veterans of the flag game at the international level.
Darrell Doucette III – who has quarterbacked Team USA at each of the past four world championships – is among the advocates for allowing experienced flag players to continue representing their countries at the Olympics despite NFL players being able to take part. During Doucette’s time, the United States has gone unbeaten at the world championship level.
“This is a sport that we’ve played for a long time, and we feel like we are the best at it and we don’t need other guys,” the 35-year-old said in an interview with Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. “But we all have one goal in mind, and that’s to represent our country. We’re definitely open to all competition. If those guys come in and ball out and they’re better than us, hats off to them. Go win that gold medal for our country.”
The flag and tackle versions of football are of course fundamentally different in several ways. Nonetheless, many expect NFL players to be able to adapt sufficiently to represent the best options for their respective countries at the Olympics. That is certainly the case for Canada’s former national flag football coach, who stated in no uncertain terms in the Post piece he expects NFLers to replace the team’s current players at the 2028 Games.
Once the Olympics draw near, attention will increasingly turn to the process by which teams are selected. 10 players will be on each international squad, and one player per NFL team per country (in addition to those with international roster exemptions) will be eligible to participate. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently confirmed, to no surprise, the league will have no say in selecting Olympic teams (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
Instead, each country’s national federation will handle that responsibility. With that said, the NFL has a role in the governance of USA Football and will therefore have at least some degree of a footprint when the time comes for the inaugural Olympic team to be selected. That endeavor will include a tryout process leading up to the Los Angeles Games, one which could include a mix of NFL and flag players if Doucette’s request for an open competition winds up being granted.
I hate to make a confession that will encourage Goku but these articles about flag football make me wish we had more news about the UFL…lol.
Lamar Jackson would cook. Period. Open invitation lol 😂
No way! Each franchise should just send it’s team mascot to LA.
Exactly Lemon. Who exactly was screaming that we need to see Flag Football in the Olympics? Who is going to get up at 3AM to watch the Flag Football Gold Medal Game? 4 People?
They replay the game during the day too LOL
The Olympics are in Los Angeles. So no one in the US, Canada, Mexico, etc would need to get up at 3am to watch a game. 🤦♂️
If you’re a senior citizen you probably get up three times a night for a washroom visit anyway… so it’s not a real inconvenience.
So you’re saying Flag Football will be shown in Prime Time? I’m betting against you. There’s not enough time to show everything so it doesn’t matter where they are. And yes if they are in Bolivia or something probably at 3AM.
Next we need underwater basket weaving as an Olympic sport.
I heard a rumor that Trump wants vaulting of Canadians instead of Poles 🙂
Pickle!
Let them run it back
Rainbow flag football
Diverted is right. He’s earned the right to compete and to say that. Flag football doesn’t belong in the Olympics (it’s not the only one that doesn’t, these days), but if it’s there, it feels quite dishonest to shove the already accomplished competitors out of the way for professional athletes that have lived and breathed football (in theory) 24 hours a day for pretty much their entire lives….in order to compete against hobbyists from a handful of countries where even the mother sport is a curiosity at best.
I still say John Travolta said it best on Welcome back Kotter. ” I’m so confused”!
lol, I realized that my idiot autocorrect changed Doucette’s name to “diverted”, but if your comment isn’t aimed at that, then I appreciate the support.
I’m not smart enough to make that connection so…..You’re welcome!
@ Ak185
Perhaps NBC should rent a house and create a reality TV series pitting accomplished flag footballs against the hobbyists. Ironically, it would probably receive better audience support and ratings than the Olympic event itself 🙂
Seriously…flag football? An Olympic sport?? Gimme a break…
Nobody wants to see professional NFL players playing flag football. pathetic at best.
Who is going to be responsible for the insurance against the NFL players earnings should they be hurt? It sure won’t be the NFL. Can USA Football afford that kind of expenditure?
This Doucette fellow is 35 and probably intends on playing until he is 65. I think the injury risk in flag football is probably comparable to bowling or snooker. No need to panic.