NFL Launches Flag Football League With Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Serena Williams Among Investors

The NFL is officially in the flag football business, with several prominent investors helping to raise its profile.

Per an official release from the NFL, the league has partnered with TMRW Sports to develop and operate a professional flag football league for men and women.

Investors in the league include Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Serena Williams, Eli Manning, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Young.

Brady issued a statement included in the release about the new league:

"Flag football represents so much of what makes this game special, showcasing the skill, creativity, and competitiveness that define this sport. Flag football's rapid rise has been incredible, and the extensive list of current and former players supporting this league shows just how strongly athletes believe in its future. I'm excited to help take this sport to even greater heights through the launch of a professional flag football league."

The announcement does not include a specific date for the league's launch, but it is "expected to align with the run-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics" to "visibility and momentum for the sport."

In 2023, the International Olympic Committee voted to approve flag football as one of five new sports for the 2028 Summer Games. Since that announcement, the NFL has made it a high priority to develop a flag football league before the event in Los Angeles.

Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters last October that the NFL was planning to launch both a men's and women's league "in the next couple of years."

Monday's announcement comes in the wake of Brady and several current and former NFL superstars participating in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Los Angeles on March 21.

The NFL players lost the three-team round-robin tournament to Team USA, with the United States defeating its opponents by a combined score of 105-44.