USA Football selects 2025 flag football roster as NFL considers allowing players to play at Olympics
FILE - NFC wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11), of the Seattle Seahawks, tries to evade AFC safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, of the Pittsburgh Steelers, left, during the flag football event at the NFL Pro Bowl, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Orlando. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
FILE - AFC wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7), of the Jacksonville Jaguars, runs away from NFC return specialist KaVontae Turpin, of the Dallas Cowboys, right, during the flag football event at the NFL Pro Bowl, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Orlando. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
FILE - AFC wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7), of the Jacksonville Jaguars, runs away from NFC return specialist KaVontae Turpin, of the Dallas Cowboys, right, during the flag football event at the NFL Pro Bowl, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Orlando. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
FILE - NFC wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11), of the Seattle Seahawks, tries to evade AFC safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, of the Pittsburgh Steelers, left, during the flag football event at the NFL Pro Bowl, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Orlando. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
FILE - AFC wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7), of the Jacksonville Jaguars, runs away from NFC return specialist KaVontae Turpin, of the Dallas Cowboys, right, during the flag football event at the NFL Pro Bowl, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Orlando. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
USA Football has selected its national flag football teams for this season only.
What those rosters — more specifically, the men's squad — might look like before the sport makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games remains unknown.
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The NFL owners are discussing a proposal this week at their spring meetings in Minnesota that would allow players under contract to participate in flag football at the Olympics.
Should the resolution be approved by at least 24 of the 32 team owners, the league could negotiate with the NFL Players Association, Olympic officials and national governing bodies on the specifics of letting NFL players participate.
Scott Hallenbeck, the CEO and executive director of USA Football, said in a statement the organization is 'thrilled that the topic will be discussed.'
'If participation is approved, we stand ready to provide opportunities for NFL players to be part of Team USA and compete alongside established flag football stars and talent-transfer athletes from other sports,' added Hallenbeck, whose organization oversees the selection and training of the national teams for international competitions. "We will field the best team possible in pursuit of our ultimate goal of earning two gold medals for the United States in flag football.'
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On Monday, USA Football officially announced the 12-athlete rosters for the 2025 men's and women's flag football national teams.
The squads will compete in September at the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Americas Continental Flag Football Championship in Panama. The women's team also will play at the World Games in Chengdu, China, in August.
At the moment, the men's roster features no active NFL players. There are several players who played tackle football in college.
The NFL has been making a big push into flag football in the hopes of increasing youth participation and opportunities for women in the sport. The league played a role in helping the sport gain inclusion into the Los Angeles Olympics.
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The U.S. men's and women's squads both won gold medals last season at the IFAF flag football world championships in Lahti, Finland. The men have now won five straight IFAF flag football world championships, while the women have won three in a row.
'The depth of talent in our athlete pool is the best it's ever been,' said Eric Mayes, the managing director of high performance and national teams for USA Football.
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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports
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