In September 2025, Tom Brady announced that he was coming out of retirement. Not for the NFL, but for another grand stage: The Fanatics Flag Football Classic. For the NFL legend, “It felt like the perfect time for me to hit the field again and get my competitive juices flowing.” With the first-of-its-kind round-robin tournament now complete, the NFL upset wasn’t what many expected, including former NFL player Pat McAfee.

The Los Angeles event featured two NFL-led squads: Tom Brady’s Founders team and Joe Burrow’s Wildcats, facing the U.S. Men’s National Flag Football team, a group that competes regularly in the international Olympic-style 5-on-5 format. While the matchup carried exhibition appeal on the surface, it also placed longtime tackle-football stars opposite players who train specifically for the pace, spacing, and non-contact style of flag football.

“Why the f—k did these NFL guys sign up to play against the greatest flag football players of all time?” McAfee said in a video clip posted on X. “Our guys don’t even know the rules.”

The NFL legend’s flag football event debuted on Saturday in Los Angeles, with both the NFL teams led by Tom Brady (Founders squad) and Joe Burrow (Team Wildcats) losing against the U.S. group in their opening games.

While the 7x Super Bowl winner started the day like the GOAT, he was eventually dominated by Darrell Doucette III. Brady threw a perfect touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs during his first play, and another to former Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski for the 2-point conversion.

The play gave his team an 8-0 lead over Team USA, but it all went downhill from there. Gronk went on the bench, and the squad couldn’t keep the momentum going. Similarly, Team USA also dominated the Wildcats in the championship game with a 24-14 victory.

They scored on all their possessions in all three games, except for a kneel-down before halftime. They beat their opponents 106-44, as both Velton Brown Jr. and Housh Doucette were especially dominant, and their speed and movement made it extremely difficult for the NFL players to pull their flags.

Darrell Doucette III’s control at quarterback, along with the short-area burst and route precision shown by players like Velton Brown Jr., reflected the advantage of athletes who compete regularly in international flag tournaments rather than traditional tackle systems. Their familiarity with rush timing rules, flag-pull angles, and compressed-field spacing consistently disrupted the rhythm of both NFL-led teams across the event.

In between the losses, Brady also showed his disappointment, saying, “My heart is really hurting right now.”

The NFL players’ inexperience was on full display, as they drew more penalty flags than they pulled from their opponents. Team USA’s mastery of the game was evident throughout the event, as their control on offense and the overall speed overwhelmed the NFL players, who had only practiced a few times before the main event.

That contrast became part of the wider conversation surrounding the tournament, especially with flag football set to debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. With only one active NFL player permitted per franchise on a national Olympic roster, performances like this strengthened the case for keeping experienced national-team specialists central to Team USA’s future selection pool rather than treating NFL participation as automatic.

Furthermore, after suffering a hamstring injury on the opening drive, Gronkowski was even sidelined for the rest of the event. While the NFL star looked unstoppable for the short time that he played, he eventually left the field limping.

Rob Gronkowski suffered a hamstring injury during the FFC game 

The injury came after a two-point conversion from Tom Brady on the opening drive, when he caught the ball before slipping and pulling a hamstring while getting up. During the livecast, the former Patriots star was even heard yelling about his injury.

“I just pulled it right there on the slip,” said Gronkowski. “My hammy.”

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Once Rob left the field, his team, led by Tom Brady, struggled to generate offense without their tight end and ultimately lost.

The early setback also removed one of Brady’s most reliable short-area red-zone options, a role that typically carries extra value in the condensed field dimensions of Olympic-format flag football.

With a massive win, Team USA proved its dominance in Flag Football, showing everyone why they deserve to represent America in the 2028 Olympics. Even more broadly, the result went on to show how the international version of flag football rewards anticipation, spacing, and flag-pulling technique over the physical advantages that usually define NFL play.