NFL owners make decision on proposal to ban Philadelphia Eagles’ tush push

The NFL owners have decided on the proposal to ban the tush push used by the Philadelphia Eagles. Per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the NFL owners have tabled the proposal to ban the play.

The owners may vote on the tush push ban next month. “There were strong opinions voiced by coaches on both sides of the debate the past couple days,” Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network wrote on X/Twitter. “The NFL’s medical experts have emphasized to owners there is potential injury risk, even with lack of data to prove it. Next scheduled league meeting is in mid-May.”

Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports indicated that the tush push wouldn’t be banned ahead of the vote. “My understanding of the tush-push ban is that it’s unlikely to have the votes to be banned and there’s a better chance discussions will be tabled for a future owners meeting,” Schultz wrote on X/Twitter. “Those advocating for a ban have been working to sway opinions and get it banned, but as one source put it, ‘the current language in the proposal is just not clear enough and can easily be manipulated.’

The Green Bay Packers were the team that issued the proposal to have the play banned. In his monthly column, Packers CEO Mark Murphy said he is “not a fan” of the play. “There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less,” Murphy said.

The Eagles have had a lot of success with the tush push play

“The series of plays with the Commanders jumping offsides in the NFC Championship Game to try to stop the play was ridiculous. The referee even threatened to give the Eagles an automatic touchdown if the Commanders did not stop it. I would like to see the league prohibit pushing or aiding the runner (QB) on this play. There used to be a rule prohibiting this, but it is no longer enforced because I believe it was thought to be too hard for the officials to see. The play is bad for the game, and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner.”

The Eagles debuted the tush push in 2022, and it’s a play where a team lines up one or more players behind the quarterback to push him forward against the defense. In 2024 (including the playoffs), the Eagles converted 39 of their 48 tush push plays either into a first down or touchdown, per CBS Sports.