03/09/26 02:17:00
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03/09 14:12 CDT Tom Brady and the Fanatics Flag Football Classic moving from
Riyadh to Los Angeles
Tom Brady and the Fanatics Flag Football Classic moving from Riyadh to Los
Angeles
By PAT GRAHAM
AP Sports Writer
Tom Brady and the Fanatics Flag Football Classic are moving closer to home for
their inaugural event, switching from Saudi Arabia to Los Angeles.
The venue swap for the March 21 competition comes on the heels of the Iran war
and amid travel advisories. It was slated to be held at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
Instead, the event featuring numerous NFL players and coaches relocates to BMO
Stadium, which will be the home site when flag football makes its Olympic debut
at the 2028 LA Games.
The field will be full of familiar faces, too, including Brady as the
seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback makes his first official return to
the huddle since his retirement from the NFL in 2023. Brady and Jalen Hurts
will serve as captains of the Founders FFC squad, which will be coached by Sean
Payton. The other side, Wildcats FFC, is run by Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow
with Kyle Shanahan as their coach.
Leading into the event, the captains will draft a 12-player team from a list
that includes Saquon Barkley, Myles Garrett, Odell Beckham Jr., Rob Gronkowski
and YouTuber-turned-boxer Logan Paul. The commissioners of the event will be
recent NFL Football Hall of Famers Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald.
A third team will be made up of USA Football players. It's a chance to see how
a group of accomplished flag-football players stack up against their NFL
counterparts. The USA squad will have Aamir Brown and Darrell "Housh" Doucette
serve as captains and Jorge Cascudo as their coach.
The format will be played under modified Olympic flag-football rules and on a
field measuring 50-by-25 yards. It will feature two 15-minute halves along with
a running clock. All three teams square off in a round-robin tournament and the
top two squads earn a spot in the championship game.
It will produced by Fanatics Studios and be broadcast on FOX Sports, FOX One
and Tubi.
"This event features our world champion flag football athletes on the same
field as some of the top current and former pro tackle stars, and I know our
players are up for the challenge," Scott Hallenbeck, the USA Football CEO and
executive director, said in a statement.
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