Report: Vick to play in trial game for new flag football league
Michael Vick is returning to football. Kind of.
The former NFL quarterback, who retired this offseason, will play in a trial game for a new professional flag football league at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Cali., on June 27, ESPN's Darren Rovell reports.
The American Flag Football League, which is being set up by financier Jeff Lewis, aims to launch eight league-owned franchises in 2018.
Lewis came up with the idea of getting world-class athletes to play flag football after watching his son play last fall.
"I just thought to myself, 'what would this look like if great athletes played this?'" Lewis said. "There's certainly a huge pool to take guys from. Every single year, NFL teams cut 800 guys. We need less than 100 players to field eight teams."
The American Flag Football League will play seven-on-seven 60-minute games on a full 100-yard football field. It will also use magnetically attached flags instead of the usual velcro, allowing officials to know exactly where a runner was stopped.
"We think what will make this successful is urgency, affinity, and quality," Lewis said. "This is why shows like 'American Idol' and 'American Ninja Warriors' have been popular. We think the game and how we've set it up will give us this."
Vick will also be joined by recently retired running back Justin Forsett.
The game won't be broadcast live, but will be available to stream later that day.