A new type of Dream Team could be coming.
When flag football debuts as an Olympic sport in 2028, NFL players could be among the participants.
Via Mark Maske of the Washington Post, NFL executive Peter O’Reilly said at a Tuesday press conference that the league will work with the NFL Players Association and the various teams, if current or former players want to sign up.
“We understand the desire,” O’Reilly said. “We think it’s a great opportunity because the player interest is real and desirable.”
The league will surely support the involvement of current players, given that the league realizes that, as interest and participation in flag football grows, interest in professional tackle football will, too.
The L.A. games open on July 14 and close on July 30. That’s a favorable window, as it relates to the broader football calendar.
Retired tight end Rob Gronkowski has said he’d like to participate; he’ll be 39 at the time. Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill is interested, too.
If current players will be eligible, some of the key members of the team possibility are still in high school.
And if plenty of current and former players want to do it, the competition for a spot on the American team could be far more fierce than the eventual on-field competition with other countries will be.
