EAGAN, Minn. — Flashing a large smile, Justin Jefferson did a celebratory “Olympic Griddy” as he exited the rostrum at a information convention throughout the NFL’s spring assembly Tuesday.
As a World Flag Ambassador, the Minnesota Vikings’ star broad receiver was instrumental within the league’s Tuesday passage of a proposal that allows NFL gamers to take part in flag soccer on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The NFL’s 32 house owners voted to unanimously approve the proposal, league sources instructed ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
“I am simply at a lack of phrases,” Jefferson stated earlier than he danced away. “… Simply to consider the probabilities of enjoying within the Olympics and getting a gold medal is a dream, simply reverting again to being a child and watching the observe and subject meets, watching basketball win the gold medal.
“That is one thing that as a child I all the time needed to be part of, however soccer wasn’t world. So now that we’re increasing the sport and we’re going extra world, it is fairly cool.”
That enlargement to a world platform is one thing that excited NFL govt vice chairman of soccer operations Troy Vincent.
“I feel it’ll be phenomenal,” Vincent stated. “I feel the world lastly has a possibility to see the best athletes on the planet take part, each women and men. … I feel the membership vote at present, permitting the younger fellas to place their hand up and be that Dream Group that all of us noticed that I grew up watching in ’92.
“Hey, I am trying ahead to seeing Justin play. He going to get his, we won’t wait to smash.”
A four-time Professional Bowler, Jefferson has latest expertise enjoying flag soccer on the reimagined Professional Bowl Video games. He stated it gave NFL gamers a style of what enjoying on an Olympic workforce collectively might be like.
“For them to alter the foundations up and for us to go from a daily recreation to now [flag football] recreation, truthfully it was far more enjoyable,” Jefferson stated. “We felt like children on the market simply form of having enjoyable, simply being round one another, the perfect athletes within the league.”
Jefferson, although, did not decide to making an attempt out for the 2028 squad.
“That is the choice I will undoubtedly should weigh in a bit bit,” Jefferson stated. “It is three years from now, it is three entire seasons that I’ll should undergo. In fact, getting older, physique goes to be totally different, however that is undoubtedly all the time been a dream. It is all the time been one thing I all the time needed to do, compete to your nation versus the entire different international locations in the remainder of the world. … I undoubtedly would look ahead to it if it got here all the way down to it, however that is undoubtedly one thing ask myself and see what’s proper.”
Although the decision handed, the league nonetheless wants to barter with the NFL Gamers Affiliation, Olympic officers and nationwide governing our bodies on the specifics of letting NFL gamers take part. There may be alternatives for gamers with worldwide heritage to symbolize different international locations within the Olympics.
“We wish to be sure that we’ve the insurances that the gamers are protected, the golf equipment are protected, and man let the gamers put their arms up and compete for his or her nation, symbolize their international locations and compete for that gold,” Vincent stated. “So, I feel the hardest half was at present. Decision was handed, management with NFLPA govt Lloyd [Howell Jr.] and commissioner [Roger] Goodell. They will iron all these issues out, permit the athletes to showcase their abilities.”
Amongst obstacles for gamers to navigate as they stability flag soccer hopes with NFL calls for is coaching for 2 totally different sports activities and the timing of the Olympic Video games.
“Guaranteeing that the timing works inside our calendar was actually necessary,” NFL govt Peter O’Reilly stated. “Dialog or something happening in ’27 can be extra of an acclimation interval solely throughout useless durations in our calendar. After which ’28 can be actually working … throughout the useless durations and actually creating home windows that do not battle with an NFL calendar.”
If the flag soccer portion of the Olympics takes place throughout the first week of the 2028 video games, O’Reilly added, gamers would nonetheless have the ability to make it again for veteran report dates for coaching camp with just a few days cushion.
And whereas NFL gamers possess expertise that might assist them excel in flag soccer, Vikings linebacker Brian Asamoah II, one other World Flag Ambassador, acknowledged there’s already a pool of gifted athletes who specialise in flag soccer.
“It requires a whole lot of totally different skills that soccer generally would not require, however you undoubtedly should have pace, elusiveness and having the ability to get away from folks,” Asamoah stated. “It is a utterly totally different recreation. It’s a must to actually give your respect to the gamers which were coaching for this already and really feel like they deserve the chance to play. However nonetheless this choice course of goes, I feel simply everybody getting a possibility to play flag soccer will certainly push this entire development of the sport ahead. That is what we’re all right here for.”
