On Wednesday, Patrick Mahomes found himself responding to a U.S. flag football player who has recently stirred up quite a bit of buzz. Darrell “Housh” Doucette, the quarterback for the U.S. flag football team, has been making headlines due to some bold statements he made during an interview with The Guardian.
As flag football prepares to debut at the 2028 Olympics, Doucette expressed frustration over the notion that NFL players might easily take over the spots that he and his teammates have worked hard to earn.
In his interview, Doucette didn’t hold back, calling it “disrespectful” for people to assume that NFL stars could simply walk onto the Olympic team based solely on their reputation. “They didn’t help grow this game to get it to the Olympics,” Doucette stated. “Give the guys who helped this game get to where it’s at their respect.”
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The conversation gained even more traction after Doucette spoke with TMZ Sports in an interview published on Tuesday. He elaborated on why he believes NFL players would struggle to adapt to flag football, a sport with its own set of challenges and nuances. Doucette pointed out key differences, such as the lack of physical contact, different timing, the prohibition of stiff-arms, rules against flag-guarding, and the smaller field size.
“I think people overlook the flag football players,” Doucette said to TMZ. “We are professionals of our game, and they aren’t. They don’t have the time to actually learn this game and to be as successful as we have over this period of time.”
Doucette went on to assert that if his team were to face off against a group of NFL players in flag football, his team would come out on top due to their expertise in the sport. “This is a totally different game,” he reasoned.
Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising claim Doucette made was when he declared himself better than Patrick Mahomes—at flag football, that is. “At the end of the day, I feel like I’m better than Patrick Mahomes because of my IQ of the game. I know he’s right now the best in the league. I know he’s more accurate. I know he has all these intangibles. But when it comes to flag football, I feel like I know more than him.”
This bold statement quickly went viral, drawing a response from Mahomes himself. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback took to social media, posting a GIF of rapper 50 Cent, commonly used to express confusion or surprise at being unexpectedly dragged into a discussion. Mahomes’ reaction was a lighthearted way of indicating that he had been minding his own business when suddenly pulled into Doucette’s challenge.
Doucette later clarified that his comments were specific to flag football, not traditional American football, where he readily acknowledged Mahomes’ superiority.
The debate raises an interesting question: Could Mahomes, with his unparalleled talent in the NFL, step into the flag football arena and outshine Doucette? Or would he need time to adapt to the unique aspects of the modified sport before matching the expertise of seasoned flag football players like Doucette?
The discussion has certainly sparked curiosity and a mix of opinions among fans and analysts alike.
