CFL M.O.P. Nathan Rourke to play in adult rec flag football league in preparation for Olympics

The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles are over two years away, but B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke is taking an unconventional step to prepare himself.

The British Columbia Adult Flag Football League announced via their Instagram account on Thursday that the reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player would be taking part in their Men’s Elite Division for the upcoming spring season.

A Lions spokesperson confirmed to 3DownNation that Rourke has been granted permission by the organization to play in the recreational league this offseason. The 27-year-old is currently listed on the roster of the VanCity Vice, a team which includes former Lions receiver Dallas Dixon, as well as notable former U Sports players like Lliam Wishart and Arjay Shelley.

Flag football will make its Olympic debut at the LA2028 Games. While Team Canada must still qualify for the six-team tournament, the Canadian Football League board of governors has unanimously approved CFL players to participate if and when they do.

Rourke has publicly expressed interest in representing his country on the international stage, though he told the media in November that flag football is a different sport requiring a unique skillset. Sources familiar with Rourke’s thought process indicate that he wants to make the Olympic team on merit, not reputation, and he views this as a way to prove himself with valuable reps.

For their part, the Lions appear to be backing their quarterback’s ambition. General manager Ryan Rigmaiden told the B.C. Lions Den Pawdcast earlier this week that he is supportive of Rourke pursuing his Olympic dream, even though the tournament is expected to take place during the CFL regular season and would force him to miss games.

“From a club perspective, and just personally for me, I told Nathan not only does the club fully support this, if I ever had the opportunity to represent my country, I would 100 percent do it, so you’ve got our full blessing,” Rigmaiden said. “We hope he does extremely well. We hope he can get a medal for Canada. I think that would just be such an amazing personal experience for him; that’s something we weren’t going to intrude on.”

“Now, from a B.C. Lions’ perspective, do I have concerns? Yeah, always. The first one is usually injury, and so you just want to make sure that you’re taking every precaution in making sure that we’re protecting Nathan. I think (Team Canada head coach Paul LaPolice) is going to do that, and so we’re going to move forward with it. He’s got our blessing. I think this is a tremendous opportunity, not only for Nathan and the B.C. Lions, but also for Canada. We hope he performs extremely well.”

Rourke threw for 5,290 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions over 18 regular-season games in 2025, while rushing 61 times for 564 yards and 10 scores. He was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian for the second time in his career, while becoming the fifth homegrown athlete in league history to win Most Outstanding Player.

The Oakville, Ont., native signed a contract extension this offseason, tying him to the Lions through the 2028 campaign. Rourke remains the CFL’s highest-paid player under the terms of that deal, but his ambition in flag football is about something more than money.

“Representing Canada is something that I was incredibly proud to do when I was in college and when I was down south in the NFL. It’s something that I’m proud to do right now as a Canadian quarterback, and to be able to represent Canada at the Olympics would be an incredible honour,” he told the Pawdcast last month.

“I think about the prospect of potentially playing with (my brother) Kurtis in the Olympics would be kind of just the coolest thing ever. There’s obviously more information that we have to learn about the cooperation between the CFL and Football Canada with that, but I would certainly be interested and would love to see it work out.”

The Canadian men’s flag football team won the bronze medal at the 2025 IFAF Americas Continental Championship in Panama in September. The team has advanced to the 2026 World Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany, this August, where they will have their first chance to qualify for the Olympics. The team’s current quarterback is Michael O’Connor, who served as Rourke’s backup with the Lions in 2022.

The BC Adult Flag Football League is supported by Football BC and Football Canada. It offers recreational competition for athletes of all genders and skill levels across five divisions, with a portion of the proceeds from registration going to support youth football and athletics.

Rourke and the VanCity Vice will begin play on Sunday, March 22, when they face off in a double header against The Honey Badgers and Hammertime at Cloverdale Athletic Park. Action will run from 12:40 p.m. until 2:20 p.m. local time.

Games will continue on Sundays until the regular season concludes on May 3. Quarterbacks are slated to report to CFL training camps on May 6.