NFL teams vote to allow players to compete in LA28 flag football

NEW YORK :National Football League teams voted in favour of a resolution allowing their players to compete in flag football at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, the NFL said on Tuesday.

The league itself had long been on board with players competing in the Games, while multiple athletes - including two-time MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes - said they wanted to play.

The plan cleared a key hurdle on Tuesday, as team owners gave their blessing at a league meeting in Minnesota.

"It's an incredible honour 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 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."

The league, NFLPA, Olympic entities and the sport's global governing body IFAF will now be left to work out the fine details, including injury protection measures, standards for field surfaces, as well as players' workload and schedule management.

NFL players would be expected to go through a tryout or qualification process in order to compete for their national team like any other Olympic hopeful, the league said.

NFL team owners voted unanimously in favour of the resolution, according to NFL Network.

The announcement raises the tantalising possibility of a new "Dream Team," 36 years after the gold-medal winning U.S. basketball team laden with NBA stars.

"Reverting back to being a kid and watching the track and field meets, watching basketball win the gold medal, so that's something that as a kid I always wanted to be a part