Expansive ‘Tush Push’ ban could have strong support at NFL’s next owners meeting, per report

NFL owners tabled a vote on the “Tush Push” quarterback sneak in April, with 16 different teams opposing a ban of the play made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles in recent seasons. That doesn’t mean the play is safe for 2025, as an expanded prohibition of pushing and pulling players is expected to have strong support among owners at the league’s next meeting later this month, according to the Washington Post.

Since tabling talks about the play in April, some team owners have prepared a “reworked proposal” that would not only ban players from ever pushing or pulling a ball carrier, but also “prohibit offensive linemen from running down the field to shove a ball carrier forward … at the end of a play,” per Mark Maske. This proposal is “expected to have a reasonably good chance of being approved,” Maske added, despite half the NFL voting against a ban in April.

At least 24 of the NFL’s 32 owners would need to vote for the reported “Tush Push” ban for it to take effect. Owners are scheduled to meet on May 20-21 in the Minneapolis area.

Vocal opponents of the “Tush Push,” which the Eagles deployed frequently and effectively in two different Super Bowl bids over the last three seasons, have used various arguments for why the quarterback push shouldn’t remain in the game. Some have cited safety concerns, despite an admittedly small sample size of injury research. Others have suggested the play is aesthetically unpleasant, appearing out of place in today’s NFL. Still others have cited former NFL rules that prohibited pushing or pulling, advocating for a return to such standards.