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(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images for OBB Media – FANATICS STUDIOS)
Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow took part in the first Fanatics Flag Football Classic on March 21. Moreover, before playing in this event, the Bengals star didn’t hold back his aspiration to become an Olympic athlete.
With flag football set to make its debut as an official Olympic sport at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, it wouldn’t be surprising if current and former NFL players try to participate. One player who wants to partake in flag football at the Olympics in hopes of winning a gold medal is Burrow.
‘”I’ve always wanted to play in the Olympics,” Burrow said prior to his Wildcats FFC team going 1-2 in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic round robin (h/t Cincinnati.com). “I’ve never necessarily played an Olympic sport before, so when this got announced, I was pretty excited about it.
“The opportunity to win a gold medal (is) something that I’ve thought about — a moment like that — for a long time, since I was a kid. I think it would be something very special.”
The Cincinnati signal-caller has been to a Super Bowl and won a national title in college; as a result, it makes sense he wants to add to his achievements in the sport of football, especially now that the game, albeit flag football, is getting a global stage at the Olympics.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow Showed He Can Play Flag Football
So, how did Burrow look playing flag football? The Bengals standout showed a fierce competitive edge throughout the event, recovering from an early interception returned for a touchdown with several standout plays against Team USA and Tom Brady’s Founders FFC to reach the final.
On one remarkable play, the 29-year-old almost sprinted the full length of the field for a touchdown, dodging contact near midfield and spinning away from a flag grab as he neared the end zone.
Flag Football Players Want Opportunity to Make Olympic Team
With almost two years left to finalize Team USA’s 10-man roster, NFL players won’t necessarily fill every spot. Darrell “Housh” Doucette, a quarterback for USA Football’s men’s national team since 2021, shared that his teammates sometimes felt sidelined by professional athletes and are hoping for fair treatment in the Olympic selection process.
“The flag guys deserve their opportunity. That’s all we want,” Doucette told the Washington Post in May 2025. “We felt like we worked hard to get the sport to where it’s at, and then when the NFL guys spoke about it, it was like we were getting kicked to the side.
“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.”
Doucette and other flag football players can rest assured they’ll get a fair chance to make the Olympic team. Roger Goodell confirmed that USA Football, not the NFL, will oversee roster selection. By 2028, the team will likely feature a mix of NFL stars and flag football specialists.
It will be interesting to see how this team looks and whether it includes Burrow or any current NFL players.
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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