Controversial Technique Remains in the Game Despite Safety Concerns

A proposed ban on the tush push, a technique used by several NFL teams to gain short yardage, failed to secure enough votes from owners on Wednesday.

The play, which involves players pushing the quarterback forward, was met with criticism from some teams and coaches who deemed it “bad for the game.”

The Eagles, who used the tush push to great effect during their run to the Super Bowl last season, were among the teams that lobbied against the ban. Former center Jason Kelce, a key player in the Eagles’ success with the tush push, attended a meeting with owners in Minnesota to address concerns about the play’s safety.

Kelce, a seven-time Pro Bowl pick, recently expressed his willingness to return to the game if the tush push was allowed to continue. “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,” he said on a recent podcast.

The tush push has been a topic of debate in the NFL for several years, with some teams and coaches expressing concerns about its safety. Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy called the tush push “bad for the game” after the Packers were eliminated by the Eagles in the playoffs last season.

“We’re not just talking about safety here,” Murphy said. “We’re talking about the integrity of the game. The tush push is a play that’s almost automatic. It’s not a play that requires skill or strategy. It’s just a matter of pushing the quarterback forward and getting a first down.”

Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris also expressed his opposition to the tush push, saying that he’s “never been a fan” of the play. “I don’t think it’s a part of the game that we want to see,” Morris said. “It’s not a play that’s going to make the game more exciting or more challenging for players.”

Despite the criticism, the tush push has become a popular play among some teams in the NFL. The Eagles have used the play since 2022, and several other teams have copied their approach. The Buffalo Bills, for example, have used the tush push to great effect in short-yardage situations, with quarterback Josh Allen often being pushed forward by his linemen.

The NFL has said that no injuries have been reported on a tush push since its inception. However, some players have expressed concerns about the potential for injury. Kelce, for example, said that he was partially responsible for his decision to retire after the 2023 season due to concerns about the tush push.

“I was worried about the safety implications of the play,” Kelce said. “I was worried about the potential for injury. And I was worried about the potential for the game to become less safe as a result of the tush push.”

The NFL Competition Committee chairman, Rich McKay, acknowledged that there are health and safety concerns surrounding the play, but also noted that there are “football concerns” about its aesthetics and whether it is part of traditional football.

“We’re not just talking about safety here,” McKay said. “We’re talking about the type of play that we want to see in the game. We’re talking about the type of game that we want to play. And the tush push is a play that raises some questions about those things.”

In the end, the proposed ban on the tush push was rejected, and the play will remain a part of the game. The Eagles, meanwhile, celebrated the decision with a social media post featuring a picture of quarterback Jalen Hurts about to run a tush push against the Green Bay Packers. The post was captioned “Push on.”