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NFL owners unanimously approved allowing players to participate in flag football for the 2028 Olympics.
The vote at the spring meetings in Eagan, Minnesota, on Tuesday authorized the league to negotiate safety provisions and scheduling logistics with the NFL Players Association and relevant international and national team governing bodies.
“It’s an incredible honor for any athlete to represent their country in the Olympics, which is the pinnacle of global sport,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a written statement. “I know first-hand that the inclusion of flag football in the Olympics has sparked a tremendous amount of excitement among NFL players interested in the chance to compete for their country on the world stage. We are thrilled that they will now have that chance.”
Flag football will make its Olympic debut in the Los Angeles Summer Games, under the rules spelled out by the International Federation of American Football. It will be five-on-five with everyone eligible to catch a pass. The field is 50 by 25 yards, along with 10 yards for each end zone. A touchdown is worth six points.
Under the resolution approved on Tuesday, NFL players’ participation will begin with a tryout or qualification process. No more than one player per NFL club would be allowed.
With the 2028 Olympics scheduled from July 14-30, the flag football gold medal game could practically be staged before teams report to training camp, a provision that NFL executive vice president of club business and league events Peter O’Reilly indicated has already received informal support. Tryout and training periods for the national teams would also fit in offseason quiet periods for NFL clubs, O’Reilly said.
The International Federation of American Football is the international governing organization, representing 75 member federations across all seven continents. In the U.S., flag football is governed by Indianapolis-based USA Football.
Scott Hallenbeck, USA Football’s CEO and executive director, said in a written statement that his organization has had “extensive discussions” with the league regarding potential player participation.
“We’re fortunate to have a talent pool that already features prominent flag football stars who have helped USA Football establish a gold-medal standard in international competition,” he said. “Including players from the NFL only strengthens our ability to build the best U.S. Men’s National Team possible and achieve our ultimate goal for LA28: to bring home two gold medals in flag football.”
USA Football’s volunteer board of directors has NFL ties, with Mark Murphy, the president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, and Pete Ward, the chief operating officer of the Indianapolis Colts, serving on it.
The women’s game has seen significant growth. There are now 14 states that have sanctioned high school girls flag football as a varsity sport and several NAIA schools that are offering college scholarships. More than 230,000 girls ages six to 17 played flag football in 2023. The NCAA is also considering adding flag football as part of its “Emerging Sports for Women” program.
Team USA has been a dominant force in men’s and women’s flag football on the international scene. They each won gold medals in the IFAF flag football world championships in Lahti, Finland, last year, with the men beating Austria and the women getting by Mexico.
IBJ reporter Mickey Shuey contributed.
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So dumb.
Why?
Was listening to Bob&Tom Show today and they posed an interesting question: would RETIRED NFL players count toward a team’s limit? What if one of the Mannings or Brady (or a retired run-first QB) wanted to come back and earn a flag football gold? Or a free agent special-teams/WR speedster?