Flag football will be part of the 2028 Olympics, which the United States will host in Los Angeles. The NFL owners recently passed a resolution allowing NFL players to play flag football in the 2028 Olympics officially. It opens the floodgates for the sport to get even bigger and for the United States to make a statement in Los Angeles.
However, despite the news' excitement, not everyone is sold on the idea. One prominent voice who has voiced his displeasure is radio host Dan Patrick. He says he doesn't see the point in allowing NFL players to participate, especially from the quarterback position, because only one star quarterback will participate.
Talking on The Dan Patrick Show, Patrick said, “This is like look at us, the NFL and Flag Football. Okay, it's one player for Team USA, but I don't even know who that will be. If you're an owner, will you allow that player to play?
“I like how they discuss the salary cap credit for any injured player—a purchase of league-wide insurance policies. We don't need NFL players in the Olympics playing flag football. Now, if you said every country had an NFL quarterback playing for them, I'm interested. Other than that, I couldn't care less about this.”
Patrick's main point is that he does not see why the NFL needs to involve itself in the sport in the first place and that they should let it grow on its own.
Will NFL players want to play flag football in the Olympics?
The biggest issue facing NFL players wanting to play on the team is the risk of injury and fatigue due to the schedule. Despite the owners approving the resolution allowing all NFL players to play, the question remains about which players will participate.
Whether Dan Patrick's point of view is correct remains to be seen. But it is interesting to hear a prominent voice in the media be against this idea after the support the idea gained from the moment the US Olympic Committee lobbied to have flag football as a sport with the United States as the host country.