NFL Approves Player Participation in 2028 Olympic Flag Football Team

The NFL has approved its players to try out for Team USA's flag football team for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, a move heralded as a significant step toward globalizing football. Travis Kelce, a Kansas City Chiefs tight end, supports this, advocating for open tryouts where the best players, regardless of background, earn spots, responding critically to Team USA flag football quarterback Darrell Doucette's opposition to NFL players joining. Doucette emphasized that current flag football players have long earned their place and feel they do not need NFL players, though he expressed willingness to compete fairly. Jason Kelce proposed a unique solution: a showdown game between the established national team and a team composed entirely of NFL stars, with the winner representing the country at the Olympics, highlighting doubts about which group truly represents the best flag football talent. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praised the inclusion as a vital progression for the sport, while Travis Kelce and others, including Patrick Mahomes, show interest in participating, potentially even post-retirement. The debate underscores tensions between traditional flag football players and NFL athletes, but all parties agree on a shared goal of representing Team USA at the Olympics.