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A vote to ban the controversial “tush push” play made popular by the Philadelphia Eagles has failed by two votes.
On Wednesday, NFL voters gathered for their spring meeting in Minnesota, where the vote to prohibit the play — made famous by the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles — failed to pass.
In the “tush push,” the team is usually close to either scoring a touchdown or reaching a first down. To successfully perform the play, the quarterback is snapped the ball and then pushed forward by a tight end or running back in the “tush” area for the ball to reach its intended location.
Critics of the play argue against it due to potential injuries to players and the lack of skill it requires. But those in favor of the “tush push” claim its use is effective in gaining a short amount of yardage and prevent turnovers.
According to ESPN, the final vote was 22-10 when 24 votes were needed to pass the ban.
After the vote, many people turned to X to give their opinion on whether or not they agree with the “tush push” still being allowed. Some people reiterated that they are still upset over the play because of the injuries it causes.
The ‘tush push’ play was made popular by the Philadelphia Eagles
The ‘tush push’ play was made popular by the Philadelphia Eagles (Getty Images)
“This cheapens the game. It is illegal to push your own teammate forward. Why has owners allowed an illegal play to continue? This will cause more injuries especially to the head. And they’re trying to make kickoffs safer? It doesn’t make any sense!” one person wrote on X.
“It's not about hate for the Eagles or anger because they won. The Tush Push is not a football play; it is a rugby play. It has no place in the game and should have been banned for that reason alone,” another person pointed out.
Many people acknowledged the success the Eagles have had with the “tush push” play over the last year, with former player Jason Kelce even making an appearance in Minnesota alongside the Eagles’ team owner, Jeffrey Lurie, to address the claims that the tush push gave him injuries that led to his retirement in 2024.
“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,” Kelce said on Wednesday’s episode of his New Heights podcast. “I'll do that gladly. It'll be the easiest job in the world.”
Despite the backlash, some fans have still shown their support for the play on X.
“Hate the play with an absolute passion but it’s the right move to keep it,” one person on X wrote. “Teams gotta find a way to stop it or just prevent short yardage on 3rd-4th downs.”
Another person agreed, writing, “Good! No play should be stripped out of a playbook because you can’t stop it. Do better!”