PHOENIX — Some of your favorite Arizona Cardinals players will have a new piece of flair on their helmets in weeks 4-5 of the 2022 season. It's all a part of a new initiative to celebrate player's nationalities.
The NFL recently announced the international flag decal initiative for its players, allowing them to don their native home flag decal alongside the American flag decal for one week.
Kyler Murray, who will wear a South Korean flag decal, shared his thoughts on the league's initiative. “I’m proud to play with the flag of South Korea on my helmet. It’s a great way to honor my mom, honor my heritage and highlight the diverse backgrounds that make up the NFL.”
>> Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.
A spokesperson for the league said over 200 athletes, coaches, and executives in the league will represent more than 50 nations in the player-led initiative.
There is one caveat for players. In order to participate in the initiative, players need to have lived in that country for at least two years or have a parent or grandparent who was born there.
Nearly a dozen Cardinals will participate including Will Hernandez and Max Garcia who will wear the Mexican flag decal. Tanner Vallejo will wear an Ecuadorian decal and Victor Dimukeje will wear a Nigerian decal.
12Sports on YouTube
Watch more of the latest sports videos on the 12News YouTube channel. Don’t forget to subscribe!
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.