Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Brian Asamoah II believes that flag football will grow faster than full-contact NFL-style football in Africa, but that the former can be a gateway to the latter.
Asamoah, who lived in Ghana for a year with his uncle around the age of 10, has been heavily involved in the NFL's talent-scouting in Africa since participating in a 2023 NFL Africa camp run by Osi Umenyiora in Kenya.
Among his efforts to grow the game, he has been involved in the scouting for Ghana's flag football team for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. A final decision has not been made on whether or not he will serve Team Ghana in an official capacity.
"Yes, I definitely believe so," Asamoah told ESPN when asked if flag football is likely to grow faster than tackle football in Africa.
"Most importantly - it is safe; everybody can play. Women can play and the women's side is starting to develop. I helped the growth on that side. However, it's definitely something that everybody is learning [regardless of gender].
"When I was there [at] 10 years old, nobody knew what the sport was. Now, it's being played occasionally on gravel or grass whenever you see kids playing."
Asked if he believed many African youngsters starting out in flag football would convert to full contact and move into the NFL Academy and International Player Pathway (IPP) Program, Asamoah said: "Yes; that's the goal - working with the IPP Program and having a couple of connections right there. I definitely want them to be able to see the talent that is out there developing."
As he enters a major transitional season with the Raiders, after he was waived by the Minnesota Vikings and had a subsequent brief stint with the Tennessee Titans, Asamoah will be focused on football first and foremost over the next few months.
During the season, he will leave his brother and his foundation - the Be Authentic Foundation - to continue the progress that has been made in Ghana so far. Once a critical season in his career is behind him, advancing football's growth in Africa will be back on the linebacker's agenda.
Asamoah said of his offseason trip to Ghana: "It was a wonderful experience being able to go back to Ghana. Hosting an official camp there on my birthday (March 29) was unbelievable. We had many, many, many participants come out to showcase their abilities to one day represent their country.
"That was the start of it. Now, we're just giving the players an opportunity to enhance their skillset with a flag football league and more flag football competitions around Ghana to expand the game.
"The next step now is to integrate flag football into the schools - talking to the PE teachers, teaching them the game of flag football so that it's more inclusive and spread around throughout the entire Ghana."
Asamoah has big dreams for where the brightest talents under his watch could end up: "They can be a part of IPP [or] have an opportunity to play at the collegiate level. From there, God willing, [they will play in] the actual [NFL]."
Former Oklahoma linebacker Asamoah's own NFL dream came true in 2022, when he was selected 66th overall in the Draft by the Vikings. Two months later, the NFL landed in Ghana to launch their inaugural NFL Africa Touchdown camp, led by Umenyiora.
There are parallels between American football's journey in Africa and Asamoah's personal journey within the league. Both find themselves at pivotal points.
American football has witnessed the potential in international expansion with Australia's IPP star Jordan Mailata having played a notable role in winning a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, it is still searching for a similar star in Africa.