Must play with a Norwegian flag on the helmet – VG
On Sunday evening, Washington Commanders player Tyler Larsen (31) will run out onto the grass with a red, white and blue flag on his helmet – and it’s not the American one.
The NFL (American football) has decided to celebrate the many different nationalities in the league in the upcoming round by letting players honor their home country with a flag on their helmet.
Over 200 players will adorn their heads with what must be more than 50 different flags on Sunday – and one of them will therefore be the Norwegian flag.
On Listen about which nationalities will be represented, 31-year-old Tyler Larsen for the Washington Commanders has chosen Norway.
The NFL player, like many others in the United States, is a descendant of Norwegians who chose to emigrate to America in the early 1900s. He has a grandmother from Norway and a grandfather from Denmark on his father’s side. The surname “Larsen” therefore does not come from Norway, but Denmark.
Nevertheless, it is the Norwegian flag he has chosen to wear on his helmet on Sunday.
– It means so much to me to have the opportunity to play with the Norwegian flag considering how much my family in Norway has done for me. They mean so much to me and have supported me throughout my career, says Larsen to VG.
He talks about a strong attachment to Scandinavia.
– Growing up, we always celebrated May 17 with trains, sausages in sacks and bottles of Solo, and we had big bonfires on New Year’s Eve. When I was 10 years old, we went with my grandmother to Norway where we experienced so much and visited my Norwegian family, says Larsen.
– We have very good contact with our family in Norway thanks to social media, and it is always a pleasure to be visited by them, he says.
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There is no one with a Norwegian passport in the NFL for a moment.
Kåre Vedvik was the last Norwegian in the NFL who got one game for the New York Jets in 2019. He has reached the Canadian league CFL.
Before that, defensive tackle Leif Olve Dolonen Larsen (no relation to Tyler, as far as we know) played seasons for the Buffalo Bills in the early 2000s, while Fetsund fellow Jan Stenerud is considered an NFL legend with 18 seasons in the league from 1967 to 1985. Stenerud was a kicker and won the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1970.
Well, we can say that we have a “slightly Norwegian” player in the NFL in Tyler Larsen. He was drafted into the NFL by the Miami Dolphins in 2014 and has since played for the Carolina Panthers and now the Washington Commanders. He was also a teammate of “compatriot” Kåre Vedvik in Carolina for a short period in 2020.
Washington meets the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at 19 Norwegian time.
There will be no Swedish flag to be seen on Sunday, but Danish Hjalte Froholdt will represent Denmark. He plays for the Cleveland Browns.
However, the Swedes have reason to be optimistic about the future as tight end Theodor Melin Öhrström is an exciting talent in the college league.
Watch the NFL on VG from 15:30 Sunday: