The Olympics were always the goal. Now that flag football is finally there, some of the athletes who helped build it are wondering who’s actually going to take the field. Darrell Doucette III isn’t opposed to the idea of NFL names in the 2028 Games. But he’s not pretending it doesn’t raise some concerns, either. “The flag guys deserve their opportunity,” said Doucette, quarterback for the U.S. men’s flag football team. “We’ve been grinding for years.”
Tom Brady has stayed busy since retiring in early 2023. He helped launch the Hall of Excellence in Las Vegas — a high-end tribute to sports history — and still shows up for causes like the Best Buddies Challenge, where he’s a regular. But none of that made the kind of noise a quick segment on Up & Adams did, when Kay Adams casually floated the idea of Brady suiting up for Team USA’s flag football team at the 2028 Olympics. Brady laughed. The internet didn’t.
In a now-viral Instagram Reel captioned, “Are we going to see Tom Brady come back and win a gold medal? ”, Adams leaned into the camera—publicly challenging the 50-year-old legend to suit up for Team USA’s flag-football debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Jason McCourty, Brady’s former Patriots teammate, was right beside her. He admitted, “I could definitely, definitely see him doing that. He’s still got that arm,” and then laughed at the thought of a 50-year-old Brady dodging flags.
And then, Adams leaned forward and asked, “So you’re really going to let Patrick get a gold medal?”. The room exploded in laughter. She didn’t stop there. Adams speculated about “biohacking” and “cryo chambers” Brady might use to stay in peak shape. McCourty joked that Brady “can’t outrun anybody”, at flag-football speed but would still bring “notoriety” to the game.
Officially, Brady hasn’t said anything beyond the laughs. In May, he sent a video message to Florida’s Seminole Ridge High School girls’ flag football team, congratulating them on their state championship and praising their grit. It was telling. These aren’t signs of a comeback, exactly. But they do point to something more than casual distance. Brady has stayed connected, and in a sport like flag football, where Olympic legitimacy is still forming, that connection can take on outsized meaning.
Whether or not he ever suits up again is beside the point for now. The fact that his name is in the mix at all or that the mere idea of it feels plausible reflects just how fluid the moment is for flag football. It’s a sport trying to find the right balance between the athletes who built it and the stars who could redefine it.
Patriots legend Tom Brady confirms Olympic aspirations
Tom Brady has been anything but retired when it comes to competition. “Never say never,” he told The Herd while talking about joining Team USA in flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Adding to that sentiment comes on the heels of the NFL owners’ unanimous vote in May 2025 to allow players to compete in Olympic flag football, marking the sport’s debut on the world’s biggest stage.
Also, with flag football officially approved, Brady has been bullish on America’s chances. “The Americans will have a bit of an advantage”, he said, pointing to the country’s deep football roots and vast athletic talent pool. However, his endorsement underscores the belief that U.S. stars, steeped in football culture, are primed to dominate this fast-paced, non-contact variant. An unnamed insider told The Daily Mail that Brady’s Olympic flirtation is driven by more than nostalgia.
“He wants a Gold medal. And what better way to remain the GOAT and return to the sport he loves, by helping his country win gold”, the source explained, noting how Brady’s rigorous regimen and the proximity of an LA Games could align perfectly for one last triumph. Yet not everyone welcomes an NFL invasion. Four-time flag-football world champion Darrell Doucette III has been vocal. “This is a sport that we’ve played for a long time, and we feel like we are the best at it. We don’t need other guys,” he said in an interview, while adding, “If those guys come in and ball out and they’re better than us, hats off to them. Go win that gold medal for our country”.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady screams out after arriving on the field without a glove on his injured right hand before playing the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on January 21, 2018. PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxONLY BOS20180121502 MATTHEWxHEALEY
Scott Hallenbeck, CEO of USA Football, reassured the flag-football community by stating that the league will welcome NFL players but limit each team to just one, and that open tryouts will guarantee merit-based selection. “Our goal is to showcase the best flag-football talent in the world, and that includes honoring the athletes who built this sport”, Hallenbeck said.
Now, with the 2028 Games less than three years away, speculation continues to swirl: Will Brady trade his Fox Sports studio chair for an Olympic jersey? If he does, it would be a historic capstone to a career defined by defying expectations—and Kay Adams will be right there to remind him she called it first.
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