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Just weeks after the 2024 Olympics in Paris concluded, all eyes are already set on the 2028 games from Los Angeles, California, which will include the sport of flag football for the first time. This of course begs the question of whether certain NFL stars, many of whom have already expressed interest in participating in flag football, would be willing to take their talents to the Olympics and represent their country.
For their part, it seems that the NFL itself is more than on board with the idea of some of its players participating in flag football at the Olympics, according to a recent conference call from league executive vice president Jeff Miller, via Mike Florio of NBC Sports' Pro Football Talk.
“The amount of enthusiasm that we’ve seen among our players or more broadly for flag football in ’28 . . . has been remarkable,” said Miller. “Conversations are continuing to go on with the [NFL] Players Association, with players themselves . . . but obviously the hope would be that players who want to participate in the Olympics and represent their country have that opportunity to do so. . . . It is something that we’re working on actively.”
One of those players who has expressed interest is none other than Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who recently said on an episode of HBO's Hard Knocks that playing flag football was his earliest childhood memory, and that he would “100 percent” want to play in the Olympics if flag football was a sport there.
What would this look like?
It should be noted that the United States already has a national flag football team, quarterbacked by Darrell Doucette, who feels disrespected by the notion that NFL players will just automatically slide in and take those spots.
“I think it’s disrespectful that they just automatically assume that they’re able to just join the Olympic team because of the person that they are — they didn’t help grow this game to get to the Olympics,” said Doucette, via The Guardian. “Give the guys who helped this game get to where it’s at their respect.”
If NFL players are indeed able to suit up and play flag football at the Olympics, it's quite difficult to envision any other countries being able to keep up with the United States, considering that America is one of the only countries where the game is even played at the professional level.
In any case, there are still a few more years for things to get sorted out before the decisions are made.
