NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes and USA men’s flag-football quarterback Darrell “Housh” Doucette Jr have sought to bury the hatchet after being pitted each other in a social media storm over the summer.
Both men are in New Orleans as the city prepares for Sunday’s Super Bowl, where Mahomes will lead the Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the issue has surfaced again. Doucette went viral in August after he told the Guardian that it was “disrespectful” for the public to assume that Mahomes and fellow NFL signal-callers like Joe Burrow and the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts to “automatically assume” they would be able to oust him from his spot on USA’s flag-football team’s quarterback ahead of the sport’s Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028.
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TMZ Sports later quoted him as saying, “I feel like I’m better than Patrick Mahomes” at flag football “because of my IQ of the game,” which social media trolls misconstrued as Doucette saying he was better at football in general than someone who on Sunday is playing for a fourth Super Bowl title.
Mahomes did not help matters for Doucette when he responded to the TMZ comments by posting a meme of a startled 50 Cent saying, “What he say ‘fuck me’ for?”
But then Doucette led the US men’s flag-football team to a fifth straight world championship in August. He passed for 1,069 yards and 25 touchdowns – while catching or running in three scores himself – in seven games, proving his point that he is the best at his craft – which is entirely distinct from tackle football.
Doucette was doing the media rounds on Wednesday in his hometown of New Orleans. And, unsurprisingly, he was asked to revisit his pre-world championship comments about Mahomes.
Fairly saying “everything was taken out of proportion,” Doucette added: “I think he’s a phenomenal player. But we’re speaking about flag football. And if those guys want to come out and compete against us, … if he steps into my territory, he has to go out and prove himself. And that’s all we want to see, of course.”
Whether casual fans like the premise or not, those in charge of the US’s flag football teams have said NFL players interested in crossing over and competing for an Olympic gold must undergo a trial process. Experts in both disciplines have cautioned how dissimilar the two are, often invoking the differences between boxing and MMA or tennis and ping-pong.
But any NFL stars – particularly in skill positions – who are interested in representing the US in men’s flag football in 2028 will be given every opportunity to do so. It’s just that other hopefuls will, too, and all will have to unseat the defending world champions, USA Football has said.
As he did in August, Mahomes said Monday he would be interested in pursuing a gold medal in 2028 – whether as a player or a coach. And, perhaps more than he had previously, he endorsed the idea that his discipline and its non-contact cousin – where tackles are made by pulling flags from a ball carrier’s hips – have substantial differences, even as the NFL has incorporated it into its annual Pro Bowl.
“I think just let the best man win – whether that’s flag football guys or that’s the NFL guys, let them go out there and train for it,” Mahomes said. “It’s not like flag football is easy. I mean those guys are out there working on it, working on their craft every single year.”
USA Football’s chief executive officer Scott Hallenbeck said he was glad both players had weighed in to the extent that they did. When once it may have been outlandish to believe a flag football player in his discipline may be able to outduel an untrained NFL counterpart, Hallenbeck said important voices have now established “that this is a distinct game”.
“It takes time to learn, it man,” Hallenbeck said. “Can you adapt? Of course, but it takes time to adapt.”
For his part, Doucette said he had not had the chance to speak with Mahomes since their remarks on the Olympics. He said he is rooting for Mahomes to win what would be an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl ring.
“Honestly, I’m a big fan of Pat,” Doucette said. “And I’m hoping he becomes the greatest ever.”
In the NFL, at least.
