The NFL is looking for potential investors in a professional flag football league. And the NFL is finding them.
Via Michael McCarthy of FrontOfficeSports.com, tennis superstar Serena Williams and her husband, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, have submitted a bid in response to the league’s request for proposal.
Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal reports that, in all, 10 groups have responded.
“It’s clear there’s a lot of interest in a pro flag league,” Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters on Tuesday, per Fischer. “We have been getting bids from people who want to invest in that, either financially, or invest in the operation of that. We’re hard at work, and I expect there will be progress soon.”
The league has no timeline for launching a professional flag football league. But, as noted after Goodell said in early February that the league is “considering” a professional flag football league, that’s an “understatement.”
The NFL has thrown resources and support behind flag football, which will be an Olympic event for the first time in 2028. Some in league circles are concerned that the proliferation of flag football could prompt younger athletes to choose flag over tackle, reducing the total pool of football players from which future NFL athletes will emerge.
UPDATE 4/2/2025 4:43 p.m. ET: The bid came from Ohanian’s venture capital firm, 776. Williams is not part of that company. However, when she spoke to NFL owners on Sunday night, Williams expressed interest in owning a team in the future. She has been a limited partner in the Miami Dolphins since 2009.
