NFL Expected To Decide Soon Whether Players Can Participate In Olympic Flag Football
Many NFL players want to compete for the Team USA flag football squad at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Whether the NFL will let them compete, though, is a different story.
Announced in October 2023, flag football is one of five Olympic sports — joining baseball and softball, cricket, lacrosse and squash — that will be added to the list of events in 2028. Multiple current and former NFL players, including Tyreek Hill and Patrick Mahomes, have already expressed interest in representing Team USA in 2028.
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"I've heard directly from a lot of players who want to participate and represent their country, whether it's United States or the country that they came from," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters at the NFL's annual meeting on Tuesday.
The NFL Has A Vested Interest In The Success Of Olympic Flag Football
The Summer Olympics regularly coincide with the opening weeks of Training Camp, which could cause a problem when it comes to NFL player participation. The NFL released a statement in October when flag football was confirmed for the Games, saying that the league would work with the NFLPA to potentially find a solution to the conflicting schedule.
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And while Goodell didn't commit either way on Tuesday, he did say that he expects the league and the Players' Association to come to a resolution very soon.
"I think that's something that we'll continue to discuss with, not just the union, but also the clubs," Goodell said. "I think both of those are things that we'll probably resolve sometime in the next 60 days."
Will the NFL allow its current players to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics?
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The NFL played a significant role in the campaign to bring flag football to the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Goodell believes getting the sport onto the Olympic stage will allow it to experience international growth. The exposure would also be great for the NFL itself, which is in the process of launching a professional flag league.
"The Olympics is a critical moment for us in the flag development on a global basis," Goodell said. "The Olympics are the pinnacle of international sport. For us to be able to participate in that, to have both men's and women's flag teams participating in that from around the world, is a significant moment for us."
Olympic flag football will be non-tackling (obviously) and played on a 50-yard field that is 25 yards wide with two 10-yard end zones. Both men's and women's teams will compete at the Games.