The NFL has cleared the path for active players to participate in the 2028 Olympic games. The real game has yet to begin.
With the league limiting participation in the flag football tournament to be held three years from now to one player per franchise, the team must be picked and prepared to play. That task falls to the American governing body for international football competition: USA Football.
“On behalf of USA Football, I’d like to thank NFL clubs for approving the resolution allowing NFL players to participate in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles when flag football debuts on the Olympic stage,” USA Football CEO and executive director Scott Hallenbeck said in a statement issued after the league announced that the resolution to loan active players has passed. “USA Football has had extensive discussions with the NFL on the potential of player participation, and we’re thrilled to see those efforts become a reality.
“As the National Governing Body of American football, we have a tremendous responsibility ahead of us — selecting, training and leading the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams for LA28.
“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. 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.
“We will continue to develop our high-performance plan that guides the creation of our National Teams. We look forward to working with the NFL on the specific opportunities that NFL players can use to showcase their skills and become eligible for selection to Team USA.”
The league has allowed not only participation in the Olympic flag football tournament but also submission to “a tryout or qualification process.” It remains to be seen what that will be, who will be chosen, whether established flag football players will have a fair chance to protect their turf, and whether a sufficient and effective training process will be developed to get NFL players ready, given the requirements of their primary football responsibilities.
