The Fanatics Flag Football Classic just got bigger. And better as well? The star-studded event was originally poised to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, due to the ongoing US-Israeli vs. Iran war, the tournament has now been moved to the US. And while it was originally planned that NFL players, former and active, would take part in the event, well, Team USA has joined in too.
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Team USA originally showed their interest in joining the event over a day ago on X (formerly Twitter). Brady replied to their tweet and gracefully accepted the challenge. “I like the sound of that @usafootball – DM me, and we’ll get it set up. Just know there’s no turning back,” he tweeted.
Well, it seems the collaboration has now come to fruition, as the former NFL quarterback recently had a video call with one of the captains of the US men’s national team, quarterback Darrell “Housh” Doucette III. Brady essentially welcomed Doucette III as his opponent for the tourney.
In the video Brady posted on his IG, he can be heard telling Doucette that the US men’s team has a lot of advantage for already playing the sport at a high level. That’s quite true as we’re talking about a team that has won five consecutive IFAF Flag Football World Championships and six gold medals overall.
However, Brady also said he and his teammates from the NFL side are already preparing for the challenge. “In the moment, we’re gonna try to study you guys, evaluate a little bit… We got a few walkthroughs planned,” Brady said over the phone. The two seemed to have nothing but respect for each other during the call.
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The original date for the event, March 21, hasn’t changed. The new venue will be BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, and instead of eight-player teams, there will now be three 12-player teams. TB12 and Eagles QB Jalen Hurts will quarterback one team, Founders FFC. They will be coached by Denver Broncos head honcho Sean Payton, as per FOX Sports.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels and Bengals QB Joe Burrow will captain the second NFL team, Wildcats FFC, and they are set to be coached by 49ers head man Kyle Shanahan.
These two teams will draft several players to their rosters from a pool of 24 players three days before the event. Rob Gronkowski, Saquon Barkley, Myles Garrett, Odell Beckham Jr., and WWE star Logan Paul are some of the players who will be up for bid.
Notably, Robert Saleh will be the defensive specialist for both NFL teams. Meanwhile, Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald will serve as commissioners for the event.
And last but not least, Team USA will be captained by Aamir Brown and Darrell “Housh” Doucette and coached by Jorge Cascudo. Exciting stuff for all football fans!
The event is set to air live on FOX, FOX One, and Tubi at 4 p.m. ET on March 21. For international fans, the tourney will be streamed on the Fanatics YouTube channel. Actor and comedian Kevin Hart and comedian Druski will serve as hosts.
