NFL owners reportedly vote to keep tush push short-yardage play

A proposed ban on the tush push failed on Wednesday at the NFL owners' meetings, according to a person with knowledge of the decision.

The proposed prohibition of the polarizing short-yardage play failed by two votes to reach the required majority, a 22-10 decision that will allow quarterbacks to continue to be aided by teammates when plunging into the line.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details of the discussions by the owners had not yet been made public.

The Philadelphia Eagles brought former centre Jason Kelce, one of the players who fuelled the success of the tush push, to the meetings in Minnesota with owner Jeffrey Lurie to provide more clarity around the play.

Also, the Detroit Lions withdrew their proposal to reseed teams for the playoffs — in order of record rather than awarding the first four spots to division winners — before a vote was taken, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team's decision had not been announced.

The owners did approve modifications to the kickoff, which was drastically redone before last season. With the goal of increasing the recovery rate of onside attempts, teams may try them at any point in the game when trailing rather than just in the fourth quarter. Kicking team players, other than the kicker, can now move one yard forward.

After the tush push vote was taken, the Eagles posted a picture on social media of quarterback Jalen Hurts on the verge of a short-yardage attempt against the Green Bay Packers with the caption, "Push on." The Packers put their name on the proposal to ban offensive players from pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping or encircling a runner.

Kelce, a seven-time Pro Bowl pick who retired after the 2023 season, said recently he wasn't as concerned about a ban of the tush push as he was about clearing up misconceptions it poses an injury risk and was partially responsible for his decision to end his career.

"I'll come out of retirement today if you tell me all I've got to do is run 80 tush pushes to play in the NFL," Kelce said on the New Heights podcast with his brother Travis Kelce. "I'll do that gladly. It'll be the easiest job in the world."

Is there increased injury risk with the play?

Kelce declined further comment as he departed the meetings at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel next to Vikings team headquarters, where the issue was taken up after it was tabled seven weeks ago at the previous league meetings.

Lurie has been leading the defence of the play his team developed with the coinciding arrival of Hurts in 2020. The NFL has no conclusive data supporting a connection between the tush push and an increased risk of injury, as Lurie noted at the previous league meetings in Florida.

The tush push 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-one or one-yard line situations with well-chosen personnel and well-rehearsed precision, it looks more like rugby than football with the evolution of a traditional quarterback sneak into an all-out scrum.

"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."

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. The score of Philadelphia's wild-card round win over Green Bay in January was 22-10, coincidentally the same as the vote totals on the proposed ban.