All Panthers

Panthers great Cam Newton goes off on flag football star's bold Patrick Mahomes claim

Cam Newton isn't buying Darrell Doucette's claim that he's better at flag football than Patrick Mahomes
Mike Moraitis|
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

NFL owners unanimously voted to allow players to take part in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where flag football will be making its debut.

The expectation is that several high-profile NFL players will take part in search of a gold medal, which will leave professional flag football players out in the cold.

Yes, there are professional flag football league, and there's even a national team, which is led by quarterback Darrell Doucette.

Doucette made waves last year with the claim that, when it comes to flag football, he's better than Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.

"At the end of the day, I feel like I'm better than Patrick Mahomes because of my IQ of the game," Doucette said in 2024, per TMZ. "When it comes to flag football, I feel like I know more than him."

Doucette also wasn't pleased with the idea that NFL players will be pushing professional flag football players out of an opportunity to compete in the Olympics.

"Give the guys who helped this game get to where it’s at their respect," he said. 

It goes without saying that Doucette's comment is outlandish, at best. To say he's better than the greatest quarterback on the planet in an easier form of football is silly.

Panthers great Cam Newton touched on the subject on his "4th&1 with Cam Newton" podcast this week and his reaction to Doucette's claim was about what you'd expect.

Not exactly a hot take there.

The only person who believes Doucette is better than Mahomes at flag football is Doucette, and maybe some family and friends who want to be nice but don't truly believe it.

Frustration coming from Doucette and other flag football players is understandable, but it just makes too much sense to bypass them for star NFL players.

On top of giving the United States a better chance to win, having NFL players taking part in the Olympics will bring in a ton of extra views that Doucette and other pro flag football players can't, which in turn will make more money.

- Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI - 

Carolina Panthers defender put on notice for proving numbers can lie

Analyst: Panthers had too many hotels to address in one offseason

Panthers named potential trade partner for Cowboys’ INT machine

Panthers projected to draft Ohio State star Caleb Downs in 2026

Published
Mike Moraitis
MIKE MORAITIS

Mike Moraitis is a freelance writer who has covered the NFL for major outlets such as Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News. He has previously written for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and FanSided, and got his start in sports media at Bleacher Report.