USA Flag Football Star Says It’s ‘Disrespectful’ for NFL Stars to ‘Assume’ They’ll Make the Olympic Team

Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill may be excitedly making their travel plans in anticipation of playing flag football at the 2028 Olympics, but not everyone is so thrilled about it.

Darrell Doucette, the current quarterback of the U.S. men’s national flag football team, believes it is “disrespectful” for the NFL’s biggest stars to “assume” that they’ll be playing in 2028.

“I think it’s disrespectful that they just automatically assume that they’re able to just join the Olympic team because of the person that they are — they didn’t help grow this game to get to the Olympics,” Doucette III told the Guardian. “Give the guys who helped this game get to where it’s at their respect.”

Doucette has done solid work in guiding the American squad to international success. In 2021, he helped lead the Americans to the IFAF Flag Football World Championship. Team USA also won the World Games in 2022 and the Americas Continental Flag Football Championship in 2023.

Doucette will lead the U.S. squad in the IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Finland later this month.

However, four years from now, that roster could look much different.

NFL stars Pat Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Tyreek Hill, and others have indicated their desire to play in the Olympics. The NFL sees a chance to grow the game internationally and is already looking at altering the 2028 off-season to allow more players to compete.

So, while one can certainly sympathize with Doucette and others who have helped grow the flag football game, the deck is stacked against them.

“We just don’t think they’re going to be able to walk on the field and make the Olympic team because of the name, right?

“They still have to go out there and compete.”