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NFL owners have approved a proposal for players to participate in flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The vote Tuesday at the spring league meeting in Minneapolis was unanimous, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The resolution needed to be approved by at least 24 of the 32 team owners. "It's an incredible honor for any athlete to represent their country in the Olympics, which is the pinnacle of global sport," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "I know firsthand 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." The league still needs to negotiate with the NFL Players Association, Olympic officials and national governing bodies on the specifics of letting NFL players participate. "Players have expressed to us a great desire for the honor of competing in the Olympics, and we're excited that our members will be able to represent their country on the highest international stage," NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. said in a statement. "We look forward to working with the league, IFAF, and Olympic authorities on the terms of their participation to ensure players who compete will do so with protections to their health, safety and job." The resolution on Olympic flag football participation is one of multiple items expected to be voted on this week. Owners also will vote on the Green Bay Packers' proposal to ban the controversial tush push play and the Detroit Lions' proposal to reseed playoff teams based on regular-season record, but sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter that those votes are not expected until Wednesday. The flag football resolution establishes rules and a basic structure for how the NFL hopes to see the process work, subject to negotiations with the NFLPA and Olympics-related entities. They include: • Permission for any player under NFL contract to participate in tryouts • A limit of one player per NFL team on each national team participating • Allowing, in addition, a team's designated international player to play for his home country • A purchase of leaguewide insurance policies to provide injury protection for any player injured while participating in an authorized flag football activity related to the Olympics • A salary cap credit for any player who is injured • An expectation that Olympic flag football teams will establish medical staffs and field surfaces that comply with NFL minimum standards • A schedule that "does not unreasonably conflict with an NFL player's league and club commitments." NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and other key league officials made their support for participation at the Olympics clear during their most recent meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, last month. The Los Angeles Summer Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 14, 2028, to July 30, 2028. NFL players are typically off during most of that period. At worst, flag football participants would miss the start of training camp. ESPN's Kevin Seifert and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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