The NFL voted to approve potential player participation in flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. But the NFL won’t have a hand in actually selecting which athletes represent Team USA, at least according to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
That duty falls to USA Football.
“That’s actually a function of USA Football that will be making that decision,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said at the NFL’s ownership meeting, according to NBC Sports. “The NFL will not have any involvement in that selection process.”
Not that Goodell and the NFL will be entirely detached from the selection process. Goodell is actually responsible for appointing three members to USA Football’s board, including two on the executive committee. That means a fifth of the 15-member USA Football board will have direct ties to the NFL.
NFL votes to approve player participation in flag football at 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles
Cody Benjamin
Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy and Indianapolis Colts chief operating officer Pete Ward currently serve as NFL representatives on the board. Also a part of the board is Mike Golic, a former longtime defensive lineman in the NFL and media personality, though he is listed as an “Independent.”
The rest of the spots are occupied primarily by Team USA athletes and representatives from the USA Athletes’ Commission.
The resolution passed by the NFL at its league meetings last week allows any player currently on contract with an NFL team to try out for a future Olympic team, provided the NFL approves the Olympic team’s health and safety standards. It also mandates that each Olympic roster can include no more than one player from the same NFL team. So, for example, two players from the Dallas Cowboys cannot both participate with Team USA.
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