Chargers Safety Wants NFL Players To Forego LA 2028 Flag Football To Avoid Injuries Amid Intense Debate

Derwin James Jr, who plays as a safety for the Los Angeles Chargers, want the Team USA flag football to be given priority for Olympics.

Chargers Safety Wants NFL Players To Forego LA 2028 Flag Football To Avoid Injuries Amid Intense Debate

LA Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. (Image via Getty Images)

In Short
  • Derwin James Jr. expresses concerns over NFL players participating in flag football at the LA 2028 Olympics due to injury risks.
  • He suggests that retired players should represent Team USA instead of current NFL athletes.
  • The NFL is investing in a professional flag football league to expand the sport's global reach ahead of the Olympics.

The Los Angeles Summer Olympics are more than two years away, but the conversation around the sporting spectacle is already alive and buzzing. The center of the buzzing attention is the newly introduced event, flag football, which will make its Olympic debut along with squash.

The introduction of flag football has signaled a pathway for gridiron footballers who have since announced their interest in playing for Team USA. In addition to the players who represent multiple teams currently, retired names like Tom Brady and Robert Griffin III have shown a considerable allure towards this possibility of potentially having an Olympic gold medal to their names.

However, there’s an existing flag football team that has trounced the team made of former and current NFL players thrice recently, and competed under the Stars and Stripes in multiple championships.

According to the latest updates, the USA Football is considering playing 10 NFL players, with a maximum of one from each franchise. Amidst this, one of the current players has come out against the chance of current players playing in the Olympics. Derwin James Jr., Los Angeles Chargers safety, said that the chance of getting injured right before the season begins is higher in this shifty format.

Furthermore, he didn’t miss claiming that the flag footballers were more skilled than the NFL players, and they deserved to play.

I say the next Olympics, give them boys this one ’cause I feel they’re more prepared, they’re more skilled. I mean, you seen the formations they was running out there, it was crazy.

Derwin James Jr. said when TMZ caught up with him at LAX

He didn’t completely cut out NFL players. Instead of the ones who are currently playing, James would prefer the ones who are already retired to play the Summer Games.

Give the NFL players, you know, that’s kinda retired, already done playing, kind of on the backend, because I feel like a lot of those movements is a lot of risk on your joints, too.

NFL’s proposed flag football league ahead of Olympics receive massive support

Reportedly, the National Football League has given some serious thought to expanding the global reach of American football by investing in a professional flag football league. Last year, NFL owners approved a $32 million investment to help launch the initiative, signaling strong confidence in the sport’s potential.

Team USA Flag Football QB Darrell Doucette (Image via Bleacher Report)
Team USA Flag Football QB and captain Darrell Doucette (Image via Bleacher Report)

To strengthen the league’s foundation, the NFL has partnered with several major institutional investors, including Ariel Capital, Blue Pool Capital, Dynasty Equity, Sixth Street, and a Silver Lake-related entity. Though the exact nature of these collaborations and the distribution of equity among stakeholders remain unclear, it’s expected to garner huge financial support and strategic expertise for the growing variant of the sport.

There is some additional backing from prominent individuals and firms, contributing significantly to the growing hope that the league will be financially successful.

The league is also expecting operational support is expected from TMRW Sports. The organization headed by Mike McCarley recently concluded its second season of the revolutionary TGL. The TGL is a shift from the traditional format of golf, preferring digital screens and simulations over an open course.

Even though flag football has existed for a long time, the Olympic inclusion may push the sport from being an occasional fun activity to becoming a major global sport. Derwin James Jr. did have a point about injuries, but on a smaller picture, flag football does have an advantage when it comes to head injuries and fewer concussions. The sport has seen some considerable popularity gain in the country in the last few years, a 15% increase was noted between 2019-2024 across genders.

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