The 2028 Los Angeles Games would be flag football’s Olympic debut. NFL players are already jumping on the chance to get involved and pushing to play! Conversations about injuries and player safety are making teams and officials wary—very wary. A significant study led by Dr. Robert Parisien, an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon at New York’s Mt. Sinai Health System, has added to the conversation by analyzing ten years of flag football injury data.
The research found 2,508 flag football-related injuries over that period. Over half of these injuries were serious enough to need emergency room treatment, including hospital emergency rooms. Finger injuries, sprains and strains ranked highest among the reported adult injuries. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for 2021, showed a surprising trend. This illustrated that head injuries in flag football are roughly 15 times less likely to occur than in tackle football for similar aged youth.
Despite the injury statistics, NFL players such as Aaron Jones, Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Stefon Diggs have voiced their enthusiasm for Olympic participation. The NFL’s draft plan would permit each of the six participating nations to draft one NFL player maximum. We expect Team USA to have a roster limit of ten players. Given this structure, it’s important to consider how player availability during the offseason will work and how teams plan to navigate it.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been an implacable supporter of NFL players competing in the Olympics. He mentioned that he would really “absolutely love” for them to join. Meanwhile, John Harbaugh, coach of the Baltimore Ravens, has reservations about his star quarterback Lamar Jackson possibly missing portions of the offseason.
“I’m afraid I have a quarterback that’d probably be pretty good at [flag football], so, no, I’m not that excited about that in all honesty.” – John Harbaugh
Coaches like Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers have weighed in on the implications of player participation in the Olympics. For most, the concern is still about making sure there are enough protections in place to prevent these injuries from happening. Vincent, an NFL player safety chief, made the case that rigorous precautions should be taken to protect athletes who want to play for their countries.
“For the [teams], how do you get to a place where you’re comfortable, making sure all of the safeguards are in place, in the event that one of your athletes maybe puts his hand up to potentially participate?” – Vincent
In his speech, NFL executive Jeff Miller reiterated the league’s commitment to health and safety. He stated that the standards are very much like the standards used under NFL games.
“We want the best possible health and safety standards, just like we do in a [NFL] game.” – Jeff Miller
He highlighted the importance of dialogue among the league, teams, players, and governing bodies to ensure appropriate regulations are established.
He voiced support for participation, but recognized team management’s concerns and their need for protection.
“Every other sport gets an opportunity to win a gold medal, and if you’re not serving your country in the military, I feel like that’s the other highest honor that you can represent your country in.” – Aaron Jones
As talks grow sweltering in negotiations, those engaged all the while are bubbling with excitement and energy at Olympic flag football. Concern over injuries and player obligations is still top of mind for many. The resolution permitting such participation still needs approval from at least 24 of the 32 team owners.
“Flag football players may be upset at me for this, but yes, I would absolutely love it.” – Aaron Jones
As discussions continue, it is evident that while enthusiasm for Olympic flag football is palpable among players, concerns about injuries and player commitments remain paramount. The resolution allowing NFL players to participate must receive approval from at least 24 of the 32 team owners.
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