Flag football players feel “kicked aside” by NFL player for 2028 OS

Flag football will take center at 2028 Olympics In Los Angeles, but some of the sport’s best athletes are worried that they will be postponed in favor of NFL stars with big names.

After the NFL team owner unanimously voted to let the league players compete in the 2028 games, as part of the league’s efforts to expand their international fanbase, athletes who are already playing professional flag football are worried about their chances of making 10-persons Olympic program list.

Flag Quarterback Darrell “House” Doucette, a four times global champion for the US team, expressed his concern in a new interview with Washington Post.

Doucette, 35, said: “The flag guys deserve their opportunity. That’s all we want. We felt that we worked hard to get the sport where it is, and then when the NFL guys talked about it, it was as if we were kicked aside. ”

Quarterbacken said he felt he was the “guy who could speak out for my comrades, for my brothers who have worked hard to get to this level, so that we would not be forgotten.”

“This is a sport that we have been playing for a long time,” continued Doucette, “and we feel we are best at it and we do not need other guys. But we all have a goal in mind, and that is to represent our country. We are definitely open to all competition. If these guys come in and balls out and they are better than us. ”

While NFL stars like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen have experience in the NFL field, Doucette told Washington Post That flag and tackle football are too different to even compare the necessary skills sets.

“It’s quite two different games,” he said. “You can’t really compare flag football and deal with football.”

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Doucette said that in NFL they “do not understand” some of the flag football strategies. “These are things we practice and we work with to get big,” Doucette said.

Minnesota Vikings Linebacker Brian Asamoah reportedly repeated this statement when he spoke with reporters after NFL’s unanimous vote, according to Washington Post.

“It requires many different abilities such as football, in general, does not require, but you definitely have to have speed, difficulty and being able to get away from people,” Asamoah said, leaving, “it’s a completely different game.”

According to NFL’s qualifications for the Olympic guard list, Team USA program list for 2028 games can only include a player from the same NFL team, according to CBS.

“We are lucky enough to have a talent pool that already has prominent football stars that have helped USA Fotboll to establish a gold medal standard in international competition,” said US football CEO Scott Hallenbeck in a statement, according to Washington Post.