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

Dave Campbell · The Associated Press

· Posted: May 21, 2025 1:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

A projected prohibition connected the tush propulsion failed connected Wednesday astatine the NFL owners' meetings, according to a idiosyncratic with cognition of the decision.

The projected prohibition of the polarizing short-yardage play failed by 2 votes to scope the required majority, a 22-10 determination that volition let quarterbacks to proceed to beryllium aided by teammates erstwhile plunging into the line.

The idiosyncratic spoke to The Associated Press connected information of anonymity due to the fact that details of the discussions by the owners had not yet been made public.

The Philadelphia Eagles brought erstwhile centre Jason Kelce, 1 of the players who fuelled the occurrence of the tush push, to the meetings successful Minnesota with proprietor Jeffrey Lurie to supply much clarity astir the play.

Also, the Detroit Lions withdrew their connection to reseed teams for the playoffs — successful bid of grounds alternatively than awarding the archetypal 4 spots to part winners — earlier a ballot was taken, according to a idiosyncratic acquainted with the situation. The idiosyncratic spoke to The Associated Press connected information of anonymity due to the fact that the team's determination had not been announced.

The owners did o.k. modifications to the kickoff, which was drastically redone earlier past season. With the extremity of expanding the betterment complaint of onside attempts, teams whitethorn effort them astatine immoderate constituent successful the crippled erstwhile trailing alternatively than conscionable successful the 4th quarter. Kicking squad players, different than the kicker, tin present determination 1 gait forward.

After the tush propulsion ballot was taken, the Eagles posted a representation connected societal media of backmost Jalen Hurts connected the verge of a short-yardage effort against the Green Bay Packers with the caption, "Push on." The Packers enactment their sanction connected the connection to prohibition violative players from pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping oregon encircling a runner.

Kelce, a seven-time Pro Bowl prime who retired aft the 2023 season, said precocious helium wasn't arsenic acrophobic astir a prohibition of the tush propulsion arsenic helium was astir clearing up misconceptions it poses an wounded hazard and was partially liable for his determination to extremity his career.

"I'll travel retired of status contiguous if you archer maine each I've got to bash is tally 80 tush pushes to play successful the NFL," Kelce said connected the New Heights podcast with his member Travis Kelce. "I'll bash that gladly. It'll beryllium the easiest occupation successful the world."

Is determination accrued wounded hazard with the play?

Kelce declined further remark arsenic helium departed the meetings astatine the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel adjacent to Vikings squad headquarters, wherever the contented was taken up aft it was tabled 7 weeks agone astatine the erstwhile league meetings.

Lurie has been starring the defence of the play his squad developed with the coinciding accomplishment of Hurts successful 2020. The NFL has nary conclusive information supporting a transportation betwixt the tush propulsion and an accrued hazard of injury, arsenic Lurie noted astatine the erstwhile league meetings successful Florida.

The tush propulsion not lone assigns a subordinate to propulsion the backside of the backmost for other powerfulness down a choky nine-man enactment but sometimes involves a blocker connected the extremity pivoting to effort to propulsion the shot bearer past the marker.

Health is lone fractional of this debate, however. Entertainment is the other.

While the Eagles person astir perfected the play for fourth-and-one or one-yard enactment situations with well-chosen unit and well-rehearsed precision, it looks much similar rugby than shot with the improvement of a accepted backmost sneak into an all-out scrum.

"It was arguable erstwhile the guardant walk came out," Lurie said astatine the past league meetings. "I deliberation aestheticism is precise subjective. I've ne'er judged whether a play looks OK."

The fairness and amusive of it are definite to beryllium talking points passim the season, peculiarly starring up to the Monday nighttime crippled connected Nov. 10 erstwhile the Packers big the Eagles. The people of Philadelphia's wild-card circular triumph implicit Green Bay successful January was 22-10, coincidentally the aforesaid arsenic the ballot totals connected the projected ban.