This NFL season, one of the most contentious topics has been the infamous “tush push,” a short-yardage play nearly mastered by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Green Bay Packers proposed banning this play starting in the 2025 season, yet the proposal failed to garner enough votes at the annual owners’ meeting in Tampa Bay. However, it seems the discussion is far from over.
Rich McKay, the chairman of the Competition Committee, noted, “A lot of discussion about [the tush push]. A lot teams have a lot of views,” according to Pro Football Talk. He added, “You never like any discussion in any room to be projected toward a team or two. In this case, the discussion became primarily about safety, the need to defend against it, and its place in football history. Up to 2004, we had rules that prohibited pushing and pulling, which was deleted from the rulebook due to the difficulty in officiating it downfield. This led to the emergence of plays like this formation. Green Bay has requested that we revisit the 2004 language, study it, and discuss it again in May.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell also weighed in on this controversial play, stating, “I think that makes a lot of sense in many ways because that expands it beyond that single play,” Goodell said, per Pro Football Talk. He highlighted that there are numerous instances where pushing or pulling occurs outside the tush push formation, which may increase the risk of injury, prompting the Committee to revisit the matter and return in May with proposals.
