CNN
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The controversial “tush push” play will not be banned for the upcoming NFL season, according to multiple reporters covering the owners’ meeting in Minnesota.
A vote on whether the tush push would be permitted going forward was tabled at an owners meeting in April, but its fate was once again up for debate when they reconvened at the Spring League Meeting on Wednesday. In order to pass any motion, there needs to be a 75% majority in favor of the rule change among NFL owners, with 24 out of 32 votes needed.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported 10 teams voted against the ban.
The Philadelphia Eagles, who have popularized the play with their success when using it, celebrated the news with a photo on X of the “tush push” play with the words, “Push On.”
The short-yardage play, which involves the multiple offensive players pushing the quarterback a few yards as the offensive line pushes forward, has been a key element in the Eagles’ success of late, helping the team in its quest to lift the Lombardi Trophy this past season.
The Green Bay Packers submitted a proposal to outlaw it on safety and competitiveness grounds.
On the eve of the vote, the Packers amended their proposal to focus on the banning of offensive players “assisting the runner.”
The amended proposal recommends that pushing or pulling a runner “in any direction at any time” or lifting him to his feet would be banned, meaning the tush push and any other play where the player with the ball is pushed, pulled or lifted would be outlawed.
What is the tush push?
The tush push rose to prominence a few years ago when the Eagles began deploying it in short-yardage situations.
It is a running play in which the ball is snapped to the quarterback, who then plunges forward into the offensive line. While the linemen push forward, the quarterback is then pushed from behind by a tight end and a running back, akin to a scrum in rugby.
The combined efforts usually result in a short-yardage gain that is enough for either a first down or a touchdown and the Eagles’ version of the play is usually unstoppable.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts – who is the person with the ball in his hands and is being pushed from behind – has benefitted greatly from this play, with the majority of his 52 rushing touchdowns over the last four seasons coming from the tush push.
It became a key driving factor in the team reaching the Super Bowl two years ago and in their title success last season.
Like many other aspects across the NFL, other teams have tried to adopt the tush push with varying success, while the Eagles remain the masters of it.
Why did teams want it outlawed?
Despite the success of the tush push, it has become a controversial play, with some arguing it takes away competitiveness and makes football less exciting.
The play, which bears similarities to the old-school quarterback sneak, has also led to safety concerns, with players pushing against one another with all their force in such close proximity.
Green Bay, which was beaten handily by the Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs as Philadelphia went on to win Super Bowl LIX, was the team to table the motion to ban the play, with CEO and team president Mark Murphy saying the tush push was “bad for the game.”
“There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less,” Murphy added. “We should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner. This would bring back the traditional QB sneak. That worked pretty well for Bart Starr and the Packers in the Ice Bowl (in 1967).”
The rule proposal submitted by the Packers suggested that the rules change to “prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap.”
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott – one of three coaches on the league’s competition committee – said that the Packers’ proposal “takes away the force” of the play, prioritizing player welfare.
“Traditional quarterback sneaks have been around for a long time,” he previously has told reporters. “I think that’s the context of it that’s important. Then you know the pushing of it adds the force piece, which again is, I think that exponentially raises my concern.”
Ahead of the decision, Eagles stars Jordan Mailata and AJ Brown discussed the play, with both sounding unbothered by the possibility of it being outlawed.
Brown said it was “only a one-yard play,” while Mailata went as far to say he hoped it would be banned, solely because of the name.
“In terms of them banning the tush push, I hate that name, so I hope they do ban it. It’s a stupid name,” Mailata joked. “But I can’t control it. We can’t control it.
“We don’t even worry about it. Right now, we’re just installing our schemes, whatever KP (offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo) is installing that day, that’s what we’re focused on because worrying about if they’re going to ban the tush push or not, ain’t going to win us a championship.”