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Jets' Sauce Gardner 'interested' in participating in the Olympics
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- Jets' Sauce Gardner 'interested' in participating in the Olympics
Count Sauce Gardner in for playing for Team USA's flag football squad in the 2028 Olympics.
The New York Jets cornerback told reporters on Thursday that he "definitely would be interested" in playing for the U.S. National Football Team come the Los Angeles Games.
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"Being able to play for my country, I think it's a big deal," he said.
Gardner said he always watches the Olympics when they're on and that he was asking himself, as recently as last year, why football couldn't be an Olympic event.
"It would be good to be able to have that during training camp, when it's tough. Just being able to go to the Olympics and have some fun for a little bit," Gardner said.
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Flag football will be one of five additional events added to the Olympics for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted nearly unanimously – only two members voted "no" – to include two flag football events in 2028: one for women and one for men.
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The Olympic version of flag football will be a tournament of five-on-five matchups on a 50-yard field with no linemen.
Late last month, NFL owners voted unanimously to allow pro players to participate in the 2028 Olympics. Though specific details – injury insurance, training camp scheduling conflicts and more – still need to be ironed out by the league and its Players' Association, the door is open for NFL players to take the field in Los Angeles.
Gardner, who will be 25 in August, is one of several players to have expressed early interest in participating. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson , Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen have also all voiced their interest in recent days.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Olympic flag football: Sauce Gardner 'definitely would be interested'
