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The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Why not all NFL players are hyped for Olympic flag football
And that's how it's been portrayed throughout much of the media since it was decided NFL players will take part in the 2028 Olympics in flag football. This is a great thing. Players are jacked. Let's go kick some flag football butt, America! But what if players aren't actually all that excited to be flag football Olympians? There was a recent extremely under-reported remark from Bengals star receiver Ja'Marr Chase. He was asked about flag football and maybe spoke for more players than people want to acknowledge. "I don't know how I feel about it, if I'm being completely honest," Chase said, via WPCO's Marshall Kramsky. "I want to know the timing for us, offseason, in-season. I want to know if we're getting paid. I want to know where we traveling every other week or every day, like all that plays a part, because we have an offseason, we have a life. Also, how long would that be? I don't know. There's a lot of questions to it." Ja'Marr Chase has mixed feelings on if he would or wouldn't want to play in the Olympics. Chase has questions he wants answers to. Also Ja'Marr spoke about the respect he has for people who play and love flag football as opposed to the pro-NFL players. #Bengals @WCPO — Marshall Kramsky (@marshallkramsky) May 27, 2025 The key part of that quote: We have an offseason, we have a life. This doesn't mean that there are players who aren't excited about participating in the Olympics. There are and will be. It does mean there will be players who don't see the same level of excitement about it the league office and fans have. When Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes was asked about Olympic flag football, he went all Roger Murtaugh from "Lethal Weapon:" "I'll probably leave that to the younger guys. I'll be a little older by the time that thing comes around." Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford just openly cracked up when asked about the Olympics. "You talking about coaching, or what?" he joked. Speaking of coaches, Denver's Sean Payton has been talked about as someone who could lead the team. On June 6 he asked about the possibility of coaching the flag team and he was, well, noncommittal. For now. "I don't want to answer questions in 2028 when I'm focused on Friday," Payton said, laughing. In part, what you're seeing, I believe, is that some players (and others) don't see flag football as a vital thing to do. Or at least not on the level of, say, Olympic basketball. The world had caught up to us in hoops (and even surpassed America) mandating the arrival of the Dream Team. Basketball was our game, not the world's, and we had to retake the sport from the clutches of others. Jalen Ramsey showing no mercy to Tyreek Hill at the Pro Bowl ???? ????: @NFL — NFL on CBS ???? (@NFLonCBS) February 5, 2023 That's not the case with flag football. There's no nationwide call to beat everyone in flag football. There's also no need for people to dive into this now. It's three years away. You also hear in Chase's remarks the union and labor part of this. Players know the NFL will find a way to make tons of cash off of this, and Chase, understandably, wants to make sure players get their share. I respect him for that. Again, others will get into the flag football groove. There's no question about that. "I feel like it's always an honor to play for your country," Falcons running back Bijon Robinson told Cory Muse of KVUE. "Like, you always want to play for your country. I would love to show my skillset on that type of stage. "So, I think it's going to come down to our schedule and where it lies, and if the teams even let us go. But I would love to play if given the opportunity. We'll see. I don't want it to affect my team and what we've got going here." "Yeah, I think it's great," Rams coach Sean McVay recently told reporters. "I think that is so far away from me. Coaching years are dog years, you know that. You hear Justin Jefferson come out and talk about, 'Man, that would be really cool.' That's awesome. Like I think you give guys the opportunity to say, 'Alright, well what's your preference on it?' And I think whatever our guys going to be the availability for maybe one guy on each team to be able to do that. Matthew Stafford had a hilarious response about playing flag football in the 2028 Olympics ???? (via @RamsNFL) — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 29, 2025 "And if that's something that players say they want to be able to do, then I think it's a really cool experience for them to be able to be a part of while also acknowledging that man, there are some other guys that have been doing it. I'm not going to pretend to understand the nuances tactically and what that game entails, but I think it's good. I think it's great." There's definitely that sentiment out there. Still, there could be a lot more complexity to this flag football story than we know.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ja'Marr Chase won't commit to playing flag football at 2028 Olympics
Ja'Marr Chase isn't ready to plant the flag on playing in the Olympics just yet. The Cincinnati Bengals star receiver is getting ready for his fifth season in the NFL and is fresh off signing a massive contract extension this offseason. But what about representing the United States in a different sport? At the recent NFL owners meetings, the league gave its approval for players to be eligible to participate in the flag football event at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. For now, it doesn't appear Chase will be campaigning for a roster spot. 'I don't know how I feel about it, if I'm being completely honest,' Chase said, via WPCO's Marshall Kramsky. 'I want to know the timing for us, offseason, in-season. I want to know if we're getting paid. I want to know where we traveling every other week or every day, like all that plays a part, because we have an offseason, we have a life. Also, how long would that be? I don't know. There's a lot of questions to it." Chase went on to point out that he's not 100% on board yet, saying the idea is cool, but there are still a lot of unknowns. When asked if the Pro Bowl gave him any insight into the flag football game, Chase said they're not the same. "First off, NFL Pro Bowl is against pros," Chase said. "Listen, Pro Bowl. All pros. You playing in the Olympics, not saying they not pros, but they not the same people we seeing every day." While the receiver continues to ponder his potential role, he also took a moment to point out the clashing of the two games if NFL players take flag football team roster spots every four years in the Olympics. "We taking they love of the game, and bashing it with our love of the game," Chase said. "Now we taking away their love of the game and we killing them. It's a lot, bro. I think it's cool, but I just don't know if I'm 100% in on it." Whether Chase eventually comes around to the idea remains to be seen, but former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson was singing a different tune. "Just to think about the chances of playing in the Olympics and getting a gold medal, it's a dream," Jefferson told reporters last week following announcement. "Just reverting back to being a kid and watching the track and field meets, watching basketball win the gold medal – that's something that as a kid, I always wanted to be a part of," Jefferson said. "But football wasn't (global). So now that we're expanding the game and we're going more globally, it's pretty cool." The Minnesota Vikings' star is seemingly all-in on flag football at the Olympics. Despite early roster spot debates, Jefferson has plenty of time to get Chase on board. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ja'Marr Chase flag football: Bengals WR not committed to Olympics
