Sportsnaut
Flag football will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. In a unanimous 32-0 vote Tuesday, NFL owners approved allowing their players to participate in the competition.
However, despite the exciting prospect of stars like Patrick Mahomes and Justin Jefferson potentially representing the United States, some within NFL circles have reservations about the decision.
Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst would prefer to keep NFL players on the sideline.
“I think overall, [flag football in the Olympics is] a great thing,” Gutekunst told ESPN.com. “I’d love it if we kept the NFL players out of it.”
Gutekunst specifically cited “the risk” of injury as his primary concern.
One major issue is timing. The 2028 Olympics are scheduled for July 14-30, which directly overlaps with NFL training camps. Players participating in flag football would miss valuable preparation time, potentially frustrating executives and coaches.
“I’m afraid I have a quarterback that’d probably be pretty good at [flag football], so, no, I’m not that excited about that in all honesty,” Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said about Lamar Jackson. “I believe in America. I want gold medals, but…”
Even though the Olympics are still years away, the flag football decision could create complications for teams as 2028 approaches.
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