Darrell Green, a 64-year-old Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee who played cornerback for the Washington Redskins from 1983 to 2002, is participating in trials for the U.S. men's flag football national team in Chula Vista, California.[1][2]
Green qualified for the in-person trials through a digital combine. USA Football senior director of high performance and national teams Callie Brownson said Green's testing results were impressive despite his age relative to other participants, warranting a closer evaluation.[2]
The trials, held at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, involve around 100 men and women athletes seeking national team attention. Among the women competitors are former WNBA player Loryn Goodwin and ex-Florida State guard O’Mariah Gordon.[2]
Green hopes to earn an invitation to training camp next month and a roster spot for the 2026 U.S. men's flag football team, which will compete at the IFAF Flag World Championship in Bremen, Germany, in August.[3]
Flag football is set to debut as an Olympic sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Games in a five-on-five, non-contact format.[4] The U.S. men's team has won six of the last seven world championships since 2010.[3]
During his NFL career, Green appeared in 295 games, recording 54 interceptions—including six returned for touchdowns—while earning seven Pro Bowl selections and one first-team All-Pro honor. He won Super Bowls XXII and XXVI with Washington and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.[1]
Washington retired Green's No. 28 jersey on October 20, 2024, during halftime of a game against the Carolina Panthers at FedExField in Landover, Maryland.[5]
"I’m going to give it my best and I’ll walk away with my head up, either way," Green said.[2]
Sources
- Publisher: Sports Reference LLC
Title: Darrell Green Stats
Publication date: Accessed November 1, 2024
Direct URL: https://www.profootballreference.com/players/G/GreeDa20.htm - Publisher: Fox News
Title: NFL Hall of Famer Darrell Green, 64, trying out for Olympics flag football
Publication date: October 28, 2024
Direct URL: https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nfl-hall-famer-darrell-green-64-trying-out-olympics-flag-football - Publisher: International Federation of American Football (IFAF)
Title: 2026 IFAF Flag World Championship
Publication date: Accessed November 1, 2024
Direct URL: https://www.ifaf.org/event/2026-ifaf-flag-football-world-championship/ - Publisher: Olympics.com
Title: Flag football at LA28 Olympics
Publication date: Accessed November 1, 2024
Direct URL: https://olympics.com/en/news/flag-football-la28-olympics-what-to-know - Publisher: Associated Press
Title: Washington Commanders honor Darrell Green with jersey retirement
Publication date: October 20, 2024
Direct URL: https://apnews.com/article/washington-commanders-darrell-green-jersey-retirement-2024
