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ESPN's Bill Barnwell Has Great Suggestion For 2028 Flag Football Roster

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated May 27, 2025 3:25 PM ET

The United States will face some interesting dilemmas when determining its flag football representatives for the 2028 Summer Olympics. Bill Barnwell proposed a potentially entertaining solution.

Last week, the NFL passed a measure clearing players to participate in the Los Angeles Games. However, not everyone thinks NFL stars should compete instead of professional flag football players.

Darrell "Housh" Doucette, the quarterback for the U.S. national flag football team, said they "don't need other guys" to leave the Olympics with gold. He wants dedicated flag football pros to receive a fair shake at making the team over NFL players.

Barnwell pitched the two sides facing off for the right to play in the Olympics.

"I would pay a large sum of money out of my own pocket to watch the non-NFL flag football team vs. the NFL flag football team in a qualifier to see who represents the US," Barnwell wrote Monday on Bluesky.

The ESPN analyst claimed that any result would be fulfilling. A blowout victory from the NFL players could still offer "a lot of fun," while a close call either way provides a thrilling underdog narrative.

Meanwhile, Barnwell envisioned NFL players "fighting each other on the field" if the flag football team embarrassed them.

DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 19: A general view of the NFL logo on the official ootball is seen during a regular season NFL football game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Detroit Lions on December 19, 2021 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Mina Kimes also wondered if Barnwell stumbled upon a great idea to use elsewhere, telling her ESPN colleague that he "just fixed the Pro Bowl." The NFL shifted its Pro Bowl to a series of events, including a flag football contest that hasn't sparked much fan excitement.

Doucette has previously claimed he's a better flag football quarterback than Patrick Mahomes. Perhaps they could settle that argument on the field in a qualifying exhibition that any network or streamer would probably happily broadcast.

Following the NFL's recent ruling, Doucette told the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore that he's "open to all competition." Yet he's worried that he and his peers "were getting kicked to the side" by the NFL.

"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," Doucette said. "The flag guys deserve their opportunity. That's all we want. We felt like we worked hard to get the sport to where it's at."

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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