Flag Football Showdown: Darrell Doucette Warns NFL Stars Won’t Surrender Olympic Spots Easily—Who Will Claim Glory?

The stage is set for a thrilling debut: flag football is set to burst onto the Olympic scene at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, and suddenly, the NFL’s heavy hitters have been given the green light to chase gold with Team USA. But hold up—before the star-studded names pack their bags, there’s a veteran voice insisting that earning a spot won’t be a walk in the park. Darrell Doucette, the seasoned quarterback who’s been steering the U.S. flag football squad to world championships for nearly a decade, isn’t buying into the idea that NFL status automatically guarantees a ticket to the Olympics. He’s standing firm, advocating fiercely for the flag football stalwarts who’ve poured sweat and soul into building the sport from the ground up. The turf whispers of an ongoing battle for respect and recognition, where old-school grit meets fresh celebrity shine. It’s a story not just about competition on the field but about honoring the journey it took to get here—because flag football isn’t just another line on the playbook; it’s its own beast entirely. Dive deeper into the unfolding saga and catch every detail. LEARN MORE

“Our talent pool features prominent flag football stars who have helped USA Football establish a gold-medal standard in international competition,” Hallenback said in the statement. “Including NFL players only strengthens our talent pool for LA28 and our ability to select the best athletes for Team USA football to bring home the gold.”Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

“I felt like I was the guy who could speak out for my peers, for my brothers that’s been working hard to get to this level, for us not to be forgotten,” he said.

Though he was defensive of his flag football teammates, Doucette made a point of saying he’d support whomever was selected.

Doucette, 35, has been Team USA’s starting quarterback for nearly a decade, leading the team to multiple world championships. But he first made headlines last summer, soon after flag football was announced as an Olympic sport for 2028. Back then, Doucette said it was “disrespectful” for NFL players to “automatically assume” they could make the U.S. squad.

“This is a sport that we’ve played for a long time, and we feel like we are the best at it and we don’t need other guys,” Doucette said. “But we all have one goal in mind, and that’s to represent our country. We’re definitely open to all competition. If those guys come in and ball out and they’re better than us, hats off to them. Go win that gold medal for our country.”