With the Olympic Games in Paris concluding earlier this month, football fans can now begin to imagine Justin Jefferson catching passes from Patrick Mahomes with a gold medal on the line for Team USA. That is, of course, because flag football was added to the program for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
While many expect NFL superstars to take part in the action this time four years from now, Team USA flag football quarterback Darrell “Housh” Doucette couldn’t help but be offended when the league released a teaser video that concluded with Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts saying, “It’s our turn.”
World Flag Football Champion Ready for LA in 2028
“I think it’s disrespectful that they just automatically assume that they’re able to just join the Olympic team because of the person that they are,” the 35-year-old Doucette said.
“They didn’t help grow this game to get to the Olympics. Give the guys who helped this game get to where it’s at their respect.”
Doucette feels the only way for him to interpret the video was a threat to his job. A job that he is in no way interested in surrendering — no matter how many Super Bowl appearances you have under your belt.
Doucette led the flag football national team to a gold medal at the 2022 World Games and was named MVP when Team USA went a perfect 7-0 en route to winning the Americas Continental Championship in 2023.
Doucette Played Flag Football at New Orleans’ Xavier University
The path to the flag football national team was somewhat unconventional for Doucette. His participation in intramural and adult leagues at New Orleans’ Xavier University not only honed his skills but also built a foundation of discipline and dedication.
It was at Xavier where his skills as a leader began to shine as he guided teams to numerous championships and solidified his reputation as a formidable player and teammate.
Though he did not pursue football at the collegiate or pro level, he credits the experience at Xavier for what would eventually make him a “core” player for the professional men’s American Flag Football League division tentatively scheduled to launch in 2025 with teams in Dallas, Nashville, Boston, and Las Vegas.
With the 2028 Olympics in LA now officially on the horizon, Doucette hopes to be able to compete for his spot on the flag football team rather than having Hurts, or any other NFL Pro Bowl player, take it away from him.
“We just don’t think they’re going to be able to walk on the field and make the Olympic team because of the name, right?” he said. “They still have to go out there and compete.”
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