• Loading stock data...
Friday, July 25, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

NFL Approves Active Player Participation in LA28 Olympics

Pro athletes in most other major sports have long been able to compete in the Olympics. That opportunity is now extended to active NFL players following a vote by team owners.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The U.S. Olympic flag football Dream Team can now be assembled.

NFL owners unanimously approved a provision Tuesday to allow active players to participate in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, a highly anticipated move that will bring pro football stars into international competition. The decision, actively discussed for nearly two years, arrived after the development of a leaguewide insurance plan to protect players participating in the Olympics.

Additionally, the approval carried a series of other provisions, including the limit of one player per NFL team on each national team participating, and salary cap credits for any player who is injured at the Olympics. 

In addition to the safety and injury concerns, some owners, such as the Cowboys’ Jerry Jones, previously expressed worries about the late July timing of the 2028 Olympics and preparation for the NFL season that year.

Long before the owners’ vote at the league’s spring meeting in Minnesota, many individual stars publicly mentioned their interest in playing in the Olympics, meaning that Team USA will not have any problem fielding a team full of stars. 

The NFL players’ participation in the Olympics is fundamentally intertwined with the league’s interest in advancing grassroots play of the sport, as well as developing professional flag leagues for both men and women. That latter consideration has included some of the biggest names in sports.

“I know first-hand that the inclusion of flag football in the Olympics has sparked a tremendous amount of excitement among NFL players interested in the chance to compete for their country on the world stage. We are thrilled that they will now have that chance,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said.

Flag football formally became part of the program for the Los Angeles Games in 2023. The move, at last, provided the beginning of a path for NFL players to be part of the Olympics. NBA and NHL players have been Olympic competitors for decades. Major League Baseball operates its own World Baseball Classic in partnership with the MLB Players Association, and it also has had ongoing dialogue with LA28 organizers about its players participating there. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

NFL Fines 100 Players, Dozens of Team Employees for Super Bowl Ticket..

No individuals have been named in the ongoing investigation yet.

MLS Suspends Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba for Skipping All-Star Game

The league enforces its existing policy on its biggest star.

Prospective Rays Owner Must Start Fresh As $1.3B Stadium Deal Ends

St. Petersburg, Fla., officials formally terminate a prior ballpark agreement.

Eagles Turn to Their Fans As They Consider Future Stadium Plans

The defending Super Bowl champions are surveying season-ticket holders.

Featured Today

Ryan Field Construction
exclusive

First Look Inside Northwestern’s $862 Million New Ryan Field

Five big things FOS learned on our exclusive stadium tour.
Jul 21, 2024; Ayrshire, SCT; Xander Schauffele celebrates with Claret Jug after winning the Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Troon.
July 17, 2025

The Boozy History and Traditions of The Open’s Claret Jug

The Open awards the world’s most famous wine decanter.
2025 PDC World Darts Championship Final - Luke Littler vs Michael Van Gerwen
July 16, 2025

A Teen Darts Prodigy Is Becoming Bigger Than the Game Itself

Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler is cashing in on his devastatingly accurate shot.
May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive
July 13, 2025

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.
CJ McCollum

CJ McCollum Calls NBA CBA He Helped Negotiate ‘Not Perfect’ 

McCollum was the NBA players’ union president from 2021 until June 2025. 
Michael Johnson
exclusive
July 24, 2025

Michael Johnson Says Investor Pulling Out Caused Grand Slam Track’s ‘Major, Major..

The investor walked away from an eight-figure term sheet, a source says.
Jan 21, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson (33) and goaltender Carter Hart (79) watch from the bench against the Ottawa Senators during the third period at Wells Fargo Center.
July 25, 2025

NHL, NHLPA at Odds Over Five Acquitted Players From Hockey Canada Trial

The league is indefinitely barring the players despite the judge’s acquittal.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 24, 2025

Sophie Cunningham Fined $500 for Criticizing WNBA Refs on TikTok

The Indiana Fever star has more than 1.5 million followers on TikTok.
Nov 30, 2024; London, England; United states midfielder Lindsey Horan (10) with an overhead kick to shoot on gaol under pressure from England substitute Nikita Parris England defender Leah Williamson (5) and England defender Lucy Bronze (2) in the first half of an International friendly at Wembley Stadium.
July 24, 2025

WSL Extends Test of Alcohol in Stands Through Next Season

Attendance was up during the trial.
July 23, 2025

MLS Commissioner: Fall-to-Spring Schedule Shift Is Too Big to Rush

The league does not shift its schedule to the global standard.
Matt Corral
July 23, 2025

UFL Relocating Four Ex-USFL Teams to New Cities: Reports

The league called reports of moving half its franchises “unauthorized speculation.”