NFL Could Participate in the 2028 Olympics
A crucial vote on the participation of NFL players in flag football at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics is expected to be approved at the league meeting this Tuesday in Minneapolis. The resolution, which requires the backing of at least 24 of the 32 team owners, would mark a significant step towards the inclusion of NFL athletes in the Olympic competition.
Following approval, the league will need to negotiate with the NFL Players Association, Olympic officials, and national governing bodies to define the details of NFL player participation.
The proposal on flag football is one of several topics that will be put to a vote this week. The owners will also vote on the Green Bay Packers’ proposal to ban the controversial “tush push” play and the Detroit Lions’ proposal to reseed playoff teams based on regular season record. However, those votes are expected to take place on Wednesday.
The approval of the resolution on participation in Olympic flag football “should be easy”.
Source: Information gathered
The resolution establishes rules and a basic framework for how the NFL expects the process to work, subject to negotiations with the NFLPA and entities related to the Olympic Games. Key points include:
- Permission for any NFL-contracted player to participate in the trials.
- A limit of one player per NFL team on each participating national team.
- Further allowing a team’s designated international player to play for their home country.
- The purchase of league-wide insurance policies to provide injury protection to any player injured while participating in an authorized flag football activity related to the Olympic Games.
- A salary cap credit for any player who is injured.
- The expectation that flag football Olympic teams establish medical personnel and playing surfaces that meet minimum NFL standards.
- A schedule that “does not unreasonably conflict with an NFL player’s league and club commitments.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and other key league officials expressed their support for participation in the Olympics during their most recent meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, last month.
The Los Angeles Summer Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 14 to July 30, 2028. NFL players are usually free during most of that period. In the worst-case scenario, flag football participants would miss the start of training camp.
