Darrell Green already has a gold jacket as a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He’s returning to the field at 66 years old for a chance at a gold medal in flag football.
Green, the longtime defensive back for Washington who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2002, is taking part in the national team trials this weekend in Chula Vista, California. He joins a host of athletes trying out with all levels of football experience, from flag to tackle to 20 NFL seasons (see: himself).
At stake is an invitation to training camp next month and possibly a roster spot on the 2026 national flag football squad that will compete at the world championships in Germany this summer. It’s just another step in a series of steps ahead of flag football making its Olympic debut at the 2028 LA Games.
“Darrell qualified through our digital combine. He’s later in his career than the other trials participants, but his testing results were impressive,” said Callie Brownson, the senior director of high performance and national teams for USA football. “Our coaches and staff felt he deserved a closer look. … He’s a rare athlete who has stayed in shape and is ready to compete this week.”
Lockdown defensive back with 20 years of NFL experience
Green was known for his lockdown coverage skills, blazing speed and durability over a career that spanned 20 seasons. A first-round pick in 1983, Green helped Washington to a pair of Super Bowl titles. He had 54 interceptions and another six in the postseason, including a pick of Jim Kelly in Super Bowl 26 when Washington beat the Buffalo Bills, 37-24.
At 66, Green has his work cut out for him to make the roster. The U.S. men’s flag football squad is already the gold standard, winning six of the last seven IFAF world championship tournaments since 2010.
On USA Football’s Instagram page, Green said: “I’m going to give it my best, and I’ll walk away with my head up, either way.”
There are roughly 100 men and women attempting to stand out in front of U.S. national team coaches and personnel this weekend. Other players at trials include basketball standouts Loryn Goodwin, who was a second-round selection in the 2018 WNBA draft, and O’Mariah Gordon, an all-ACC guard for Florida State.
“The agility, creativity, hand-eye coordination and vertical leaping ability on the basketball court translates well to a flag football field,” Brownson said. “Our pipeline continues to gain traction with athletes from many different backgrounds. We’ll keep putting a lot of effort into exploring talent transfers as we build towards flag’s Olympic debut at LA28.”
Darrell Green had 54 interceptions over his 20-year NFL career in Washington. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
The players who are selected out of training camp will join those from last year’s squads and compete to earn spots on the 2026 U.S. national team roster. The squads will take part in the IFAF flag football championships in Düsseldorf, Germany from August 13-16.
“When you see a Hall of Famer, players with high-level tackle football backgrounds, former flag football gold medalists and elite athletes from other sports showing up to compete for a spot on this team, that tells you something,” Brownson said. “It speaks to the legitimate level of excitement and interest high-performing athletes have in Olympic flag football. It’s the deepest pool of athletes we’ve ever had at trials.”
A busy weekend for flag football
Meanwhile, up the road in Los Angeles, a cast of Team USA players will be facing a group of NFL players in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic on Saturday. The event will be held at BMO Stadium, which will be the home site when flag football makes its Olympic debut.
The list of players taking part includes Tom Brady, the retired seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Jalen Hurts, Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow. In addition, there will be pass rushers Von Miller and Myles Garrett, along with numerous others.
Three teams, including Team USA, will square off in a round-robin tournament. The top two squads earn a spot in the championship game.
“We wanted this opportunity to be able to face these guys,” U.S. team quarterback Darrell “Housh” Doucette III said. “Just show what flag football is truly about.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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