The NFL tush push ban is back on the table at the owners meetings, with Olympic flag football too

Fox Sports

20-05-2025

Associated Press
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Can the tush push cross the goal line? Or will the NFL 's touchy and trendy short-yardage strategy get stuffed?
League owners will likely answer that question in Minnesota, where they arrived at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel for their spring meetings next to Vikings team headquarters on a rainy Tuesday. After tabling the issue seven weeks ago, a vote was expected on Wednesday on the proposal by the Green Bay Packers to prohibit the play popularized by the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. To enact the ban, 24 of the 32 teams must approve.
NFL player participation in flag football in the next Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, a far less polarizing issue, was also on the docket for owners to consider.
If passed, the league would then have to negotiate safety provisions and scheduling logistics with the NFL Players Association and Olympic and national team governing bodies before it becomes reality during the games from July 14-30, 2028. No more than one player per NFL club would be permitted.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said last month he believes the owners will reach a consensus on the tush push issue that involves both competitive integrity and player safety. The league released a revised proposal by the Packers on Monday that broadens the language to prohibit pushing, pulling, lifting or encircling a runner by any offensive player, not specific to quarterback assists. The penalty is 10 yards. This is what the rulebook stated 20 years ago, until the ban was lifted because of the difficulty of enforcement.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has been leading the defense of the play his team developed with the coinciding arrival of strong-legged quarterback Jalen Hurts in 2020.
The NFL has no conclusive data supporting a connection between the tush push and an injury risk increase, as Lurie noted at the previous league meetings in Florida. The Buffalo Bills are also a frequent user and favor a ban for safety, though, as head coach Sean McDermott said after the vote was tabled. The tush push, which has also been dubbed the 'Brotherly Shove' in a catchy and clever twist on the Greek-to-English translation of Philadelphia, not only assigns a player to push the backside of the quarterback for extra power behind a tight nine-man line but sometimes involves a blocker on the end pivoting to try to pull the ball carrier past the marker.
Health is only half of this debate, however. Entertainment is the other.
While the Eagles have nearly perfected the play for fourth-and-1 or 1-yard line situations with well-chosen personnel and well-rehearsed precision, it looks more like rugby than football.
The Packers, who lost to the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs last season, have been among several teams voicing their distaste for the evolution of the traditional quarterback sneak into an all-out scrum. On the memo distributed by the NFL on Monday, the reasons cited for the proposal are player safety and pace of play.
'It was controversial when the forward pass came out," Lurie said at the last league meetings. 'I think aestheticism is very subjective. I've never judged whether a play looks OK.'
Regardless of the fate of the play, the fairness and fun of it are sure to be talking points throughout the season, particularly leading up to the Monday night game on Nov. 10 when the Packers host the Eagles.
Both of those teams have a good chance to be in contention in the loaded NFC for the playoffs, which could unfold a little differently if a proposal by the Detroit Lions passes this week. Like the tush push, a vote was tabled at the most recent gathering for further discussion on altering the seeding rules to base the order strictly on overall winning percentage rather than guaranteeing division winners the first four spots in each conference.
In this case, division winners would no longer get the automatic home game as the Los Angeles Rams did in January after finishing 10-7. Though wildfires forced the game to be moved to Arizona, the Vikings had to hit the road despite going 14-3, one game behind the Lions.
NFL owners will also consider from the competition committee several adjustments on the onside kick with the goal of increasing the recovery rate.
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