Olympics-Mahomes says he will not participate in LA28 flag football

Audio By Carbonatix

Enlarge

(Reuters) – Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has ruled out playing flag football at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, saying he will leave representing the United States in the sport’s Olympic debut to “the younger guys.”

National Football League teams approved a resolution last week allowing their players to compete in flag football at the LA Games. Mahomes, twice NFL Most Valuable Player and three-time Super Bowl MVP, will be 32 when the 2028 Games begin.

Speaking during the off-season organized team activities this week, Mahomes told reporters, “I’ll probably leave that to the younger guys. I’ll be a little older by the time that comes around.”

“It’s awesome. Honestly, just to be able to showcase the NFL to the whole world through flag football.”

The NFL has ramped up its promotion of flag football, a non-contact format of American football, since the International Olympic Committee approved it for the LA28 program in 2023, with an eye toward drawing more women into an arena long dominated by men.

The league itself had long been on board with players competing in the Games, while multiple athletes, including Mahomes, said two years ago they wanted to play the sport at the LA Games.

Six men’s teams and six women’s teams are set to compete in flag football at the LA Games, with 10 players per team competing in a five-on-five format.

(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)