Vote on tush push ban tabled till May meeting

NFL owners tabled a vote on whether to ban the “tush push” play at the annual league meetings Tuesday in Palm Beach, Fla.

The Green Bay Packers had proposed a ban on the play, which the Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts, in particular, run with great success in short-yardage situations. The Packers’ proposal sought “to prohibit any offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap.”

ESPN reported that 16 teams supported the Packers’ rule, with 24 votes the minimum threshold to approve a rule change. The debate is not gone for good: It’s expected to resurface when the league meets again next month in Minnesota.

Committee chairman Rich McKay told reporters that the Packers would consider rewording their proposal by focusing on an old NFL rule prohibiting pushing or pulling ball-carriers anywhere on the field. That rule was eliminated after the 2004 season.

“A lot of teams had a lot of views,” McKay said. “I think No. 1, I’m going to go back to what I said the other day, which is you’d never like any discussion in any room to be projected towards a team or two. It’s never something we’ve ever liked doing.

“So, I think the idea (Tuesday) was, as opposed to voting on this particular proposal today, Green Bay asked, ‘Could we go back and talk about reintroducing the 2004 language, study it, understand it and talk about it again when we get to May.’ “

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell later chimed in that safety issues are among the factors under deliberation, though there is no data supporting the play causes injuries.

“I do think there’s a lot of discussion about going back to the previous rule,” Goodell said. “… The reality of that is, I think that makes a lot of sense in many ways because that expands it beyond just that single play. There are a lot of plays where you see someone pushing or pulling somebody that are not in the tush push formation that I think do have an increased risk of injury. And so, I think the committee will look at that and come back in May with some proposals.”

Concerns about player safety were among the Packers’ arguments — particularly the possibility of neck injuries because of the way both offensive and defensive players must position their bodies during the play.

“I think certainly the medical professionals at the league have high concerns about putting players in positions that could lead to catastrophic injuries,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said, per The Athletic. “I think this is something that needs to be discussed and we need to be proactive with it rather than be reactive on that.

“I think we owe it to our players. It’s not about success. It’s about safety here.”

Not everyone agrees. That group includes Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen, who spent 2021 and 2022 as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator.

“I’m not in favor of taking it out. I think it’s good for the game,” Steichen said, according to The Athletic. “What (the Eagles) do, they do it better than anyone. Other teams are doing it. Buffalo’s doing it. I think it’s been around for a long time, to be completely honest, because when you’re on the half-yard line and backed up, you gotta run a QB sneak. People (are) usually back there pushing.”

–Field Level Media