NFL owners have unanimously approved permission for players to participate in flag football for the 2028 Olympics.

The vote at the spring meetings in Minnesota on Tuesday authorized the league to negotiate safety provisions and scheduling logistics with the NFL Players Association, the sport’s international governing body and the relevant Olympic authorities before it becomes reality during the next Summer Games in Los Angeles.

The excitement throughout the league and momentum in global growth of the game have made this a seemingly inevitable advancement.

“I think the world finally has an opportunity to see the greatest athletes in the world participate,” league executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said.

No more than one player per NFL club would be allowed. The 10-player Olympic rosters will be selected by the national committee for each country, with six teams each in separate tournaments for men and women. The game itself is a 5-on-5 competition on a 50-yard field.

With the 2028 Olympics scheduled from July 14-30, the flag football gold medal game could practically be staged before teams report to training camp, a provision that NFL executive vice president of club business and league events Peter O’Reilly indicated has already received informal support. Tryout and training periods for the national teams would also fit in offseason quiet periods for NFL clubs, O’Reilly said.

Two-time All-Pro guard Joe Thuney and the Chicago Bears have agreed to a two-year, $35 million contract extension, agent Mike McCartney announced.

The extension is for $17.5 million per season. Thuney is due $51 million over the next three years with $33.5 million guaranteed, McCartney said.

The Bears acquired the 32-year-old Thuney from the Chiefs in a trade in March.

college basketball

Two-time Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year Zakai Zeigler is suing the NCAA over rules limiting him to four seasons in a five-year window as an unlawful restraint of trade under both federal and Tennessee laws.

Zeigler’s lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The point guard played four seasons at Tennessee, helping the Volunteers to consecutive Elite Eight berths before graduating earlier this month.

The NCAA rule limiting athletes to four seasons during a five-year window keeps Zeigler from playing a fifth season and earning NIL money in “the most lucrative year of the eligibility window for the vast majority of athletes,” according to the lawsuit.

Former Arkansas standout Boogie Fland, widely considered the top guard in the transfer portal, chose to play for defending national champion Florida.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Fland averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 21 games with the Razorbacks last season. The freshman from New York averaged nearly 32 minutes a game despite missing time with a right thumb injury that required surgery.

Jordan Marsh, the Big South’s newcomer of the year last season, is transferring to USC. The guard spent last season at UNC Asheville, where he averaged 18.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 32 games.

Marsh is the eighth player to sign with the Trojans during the offseason.

SOCCER

Gadi Kinda, a midfielder on the Israeli national soccer team who previously played for Sporting Kansas City in the MLS, died. He was 31.

Kinda’s Israeli club, Maccabi Haifa, announced his death following his hospitalization for an undisclosed condition.

Kinda played for Sporting Kansas City from 2020-23 and signed with Maccabi Haifa in January 2024. He played his final match March 29.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri returned to action after eight months out with an ACL injury. The Ballon d’Or winner was initially expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery in September, but came on as substitute in City’s 3-1 win against Bournemouth.

Rodri’s last game was against Arsenal, when he was injured in 2-2 draw on Sept. 22.

motorsports

Drivers Kurt Busch, Ray Hendrick and Harry Gant were voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, while executive Humpy Wheeler was named the Landmark Award winner for his contribution to the sport.

A ceremony will be held to officially induct the Class of 2026 into the Hall of Fame.

The 46-year-old Busch, a first-ballot selection, held off Jimmie Johnson to win the 2004 Cup Series championship and went on to win 34 Cup races, including at least one in 19 of 21 of his full-time seasons on the premier circuit before retiring in 2023.

His journey to NASCAR stardom began in 2000 with a Truck Series rookie season that foreshadowed greatness. His big breakthrough came in 2004, when he became the first driver to win the title under NASCAR’s “playoff” system — a feat that proved both his excellence and adaptability.

The consistent Busch finished in the top 10 in the Cup Series standings 10 times.

Hendrick, who died in 1990 at age 61, was the original “Mr. Modified.” He is one of the winningest drivers of all time, with than 700 modified and late model sportsman wins between 1950-88. His success started in his home state of Virginia, where his No. 11 was well know. He won five track championships at South Boston Speedway — four modified and one late model sportsman.

He was known as a driver that was willing to race “anywhere and everywhere,” and did just that. He filled his schedule with modified and late model sportsman races across the East coast. Hendrick was known best for his wins on short tracks, but also produced victories at Talladega, Charlotte and Dover.

Despite never winning a Modified Division championship, Hendrick finished in the top 10 in the standings nine times from 1960-69.

The 85-year-old Gant, known as the “Bandit” for his long-time sponsorship with Skoal Bandits, won 18 Cup Series races, including the Southern 500 in 1984 and 1991. In the five seasons from 1981 through 1985, he finished in the top five in points four times, including a runner-up championship finish to Terry Labonte in 1984.

He also won 21 Xfinity Series races.

Gant raced into his 50s, and still holds premier series records for oldest driver to win a race (52 years old) and a pole (54). He drove the first race car with a telemetry system installed in it at Talladega in 1985 and relayed the data to CBS during its coverage of the event.

This was the Gant’s seventh time on the ballot.

All three were among NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers and one of NASCAR Modified’s All-Time Top 10 Drivers.

Wheeler became synonymous with promotion and innovation. He spent 33 years as the president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway and played a pivotal role in transforming the venue into a world-class facility.

Miscellany

Frank Nazar scored twice to help the United States rally for a 5-2 victory over the Czech Republic and hand the titleholder its first defeat at the ice hockey world championship. The victory lifted the Americans to second place in Group G. Switzerland won the group, with the Czechs finishing third.

Earlier, Austria reached the playoffs for the first time in 31 years. Austria defeated Latvia 6-1 and became the fourth and final team to advance to the quarterfinals from Group A.

Canada beat Sweden 5-3 and for the top spot in the group. Finland, another qualified team, beat Slovakia 2-1.

Switzerland beat Kazakhstan 4-1 and moved to the top of Group B.

Kazakhstan was relegated after five years in the top division.

Also, Denmark beat Germany in a shootout to get the fourth and final sport rom Group B.

Larry Demeritte, a trainer who realized his dream of running a horse in the Kentucky Derby last year, has died. He was 75. His wife, Inga, said her husband died Monday night of cardiac arrest after a long battle with cancer, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported Tuesday.

A Bahamas native, Demeritte moved to the United States in 1976 and attended his first Derby the following year, when Seattle Slew won on his way to a Triple Crown sweep.

Demeritte became the second Black trainer since 1951 in the 150th Derby last year. The other, Hank Allen, finished sixth with Northern Wolf in 1989.

Nino Benvenuti, an Italian former boxer who won gold at his home Olympics in 1960 before earning world championship titles in two weight classes as a pro, has died at age 87.