After publicly declaring that he and the rest of the men’s USA national flag football team were betting on themselves to retain their roster spots even if challenged by NFL stars who want to join the squad for their sport’s debut as an Olympic event in 2028, Darrell “Housh” Doucette found himself with an army of internet trolls ready to ram his own words down his throat. Following Doucette’s six touchdown throws to four different receivers to lead the US to an incredible 53-21 victory over Austria and the unprecedented fifth consecutive flag football world title, those trolls will just have to wait a little longer.
“We feel like we are the pros in our sport,” Doucette remarked as the Friday final at Finland’s Lahti stadium came to a close on television. “And whoever wants to come up with competition [for the reigning champions], we’re looking forward to it,” Doucette continued, taking a verbal jab at NFL players who have indicated interest in switching, at least temporarily, from their 11-on-11 tackle football game to the younger five-on-five, contactless format that will debut at the Los Angeles Olympics in four years. Doucette’s words concluded a four-day competition that demonstrated how strong the United States has been in flag football without the need for well-known NFL players like Tyreek Hill, Joe Burrow, and Patrick Mahomes, who, like them, have all expressed openly their aspirations to win an Olympic gold medal at the upcoming Summer Games. In Finland, the American men defeated their opponents 7-0, outscoring them 370-111. The United States won the sixth world flag title in the last seven years, with an average victory margin of 34.9 points per game.
Doucette, a two-time world champion now, successfully targeted teammates Bruce Mapp, Laval Davis, Ja’Deion High, Pablo Smith, and twice more for baskets against Austria. A video of one of Doucette’s touchdown passes, a 45-yarder from his own end zone, was posted to High’s Instagram account by the NFL. High and Mahomes were teammates on Texas Tech University’s tackle football team. Doucette did not throw an interception throughout the US’s stand in Finland, therefore those plays only made up a small portion of his contributions. He caught and raced for touchdowns earlier in the tournament. Additionally, he made a play on defence by intercepting a pass, proving why the executives who will ultimately choose the Olympic roster have made it plain that they intend to give Doucette and his teammates every chance to play for the United States at the 2028 Games—even if the NFL stars decide to participate in the team’s trials. However, Austria was being hurt by more than just the players who were part of the US’s offensive scoring moves on Friday. Mike Daniels and Johnluis “Lulu” Hernandez, two defensive backs, each intercepted passes that they turned into scores. Hernandez’s comeback spanned the entire 50-yard pitch. In addition, pass rusher Michael Better—whose fourth sack of the tournament—pulled the opposition quarterback’s flag in Austria’s end zone for a safety that added two points to the US score.
“It was a ‘we,’ not me, and it was fantastic for us to emerge victorious as a team in the end,” Doucette remarked. However, he acknowledged the controversy that his remarks about him and his teammates’ self-assurance to keep their spots on Team USA for the next Olympic cycle had caused, even though it’s still unclear whether Mahomes and other members of the NFL’s elite quarterback fraternity will challenge him for the position. He also acknowledged that, given “everything that’s been going on in the background,” this world championship was even more unique than it normally would have been. In a broadcast interview, Doucette said, “We… proved what we can accomplish.” He remarked, “We had a lot of eyeballs on our sport that we’ve never had before,” in words released by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the organisation that oversees the sport and hosted the competition in Finland. Additionally, we want people to recognise the amount of effort and time we put into our game. USA ladies win again By defeating Mexico 31–18 on Friday, the US women’s flag football team successfully defended their title as world champions.
Vanita Krouch, an American quarterback, threw three touchdown passes; Maci Joncich added a fourth. US receivers Kennedy Foster, Izzy Geraci, Madison Fulford, and Ashlea Klam all recorded touchdown catches. The women’s final between the US and Mexico was quite interesting, even if their tournament did not garner as much media attention as the men’s.
At the Birmingham, Alabama, 2022 World Games, Mexico defeated the US. However, prior to this Friday’s bitter rivalry match, the US had already defeated Mexico in the 2021 World Championship and the 2023 Americans Continental Championship finals.
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