Can a flag football player beat an NFL star? This is the athlete who thinks so

The 2028 Olympic Games will be hosted by Los Angeles and flag football will debut for the very first time in Olympic history.

The United States will be the outright favorites to clinch the gold medal but there’s a big debate going on regarding the team selection. Team USA could stuff the roster with elite NFL talent, or could stick with the lesser-known players who are actual flag football stars.

Much of the conversation has centered around Darrell Doucette, the flag football quarterback who claims he is “better than Patrick Mahomes” when it comes to the sport. The 35-year-old led the US to national flag football gold at the World Games in 2022 and he told TMZ why he thinks he’s better suited to be in the Team USA flag football squad.

“At the end of the day,” Doucette explained, “I feel like I’m better than Patrick Mahomes because of my IQ of the game.”

“I’m not saying I’m a better player overall but until he steps on a 5 v 5 flag field, I’m going to feel that way until it’s proven otherwise! I’m a competitor and need to be proven wrong.”

Quite how this situation will be revolved is not yet clear. There have been plenty of NFL stars - including Mahomes - who have signaled their wish to be involved in the team. Jason Kelce even suggested a playoff game, in which a team of NFL stars take on a group of flag football specialists for a place on the team.

What is clear, is that the NFL as a whole is buying in to the idea of a flag football team at the next Olympic Games. For NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, it represents an exciting new frontier for the game.

“I think this news represents a great opportunity for the sport, for the NFL,” Goodell said in April. “It’s truly the next step in making NFL football and football a global sport for men and women of all ages and all opportunities across the globe. We think that’s the right thing to do, and this is a big step in accomplishing that.”

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