Eagles supporters everywhere have defended the tush push amid calls from other fan bases, players and NFL owners to ban the controversial short-yardage play.
Now, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has entered the conversation.
Shapiro, a noted Eagles fan, was asked in an interview with Puck if the NFL should ban the tush push. Shapiro responded with an emphatic: “Hell no!”
“And by the way, it’s absolute bull---- that these other teams who can’t guard Jalen Hurts — who do not have an offensive line like the Eagles have built under Howie Roseman’s incredible leadership — that now they want to ban it,” Shapiro said. “I mean, it’s ridiculous.”
Shapiro continued, giving props to Hurts, the Super Bowl LIX MVP who is often cast aside in conversations about the best quarterbacks in the league.
“If they want to be successful, maybe they should go out and draft a great quarterback like Jalen Hurts,” Shapiro said. “Frankly, I’m also sick and tired of Jalen Hurts not getting the respect that he is due. I think he deserves respect. The Birds deserve respect, and moving to ban the tush push is merely an excuse for not having a good enough team to do it.”
Fair or not, it does feel as though the tush push is living on borrowed time. The officiating of the play has been poor this season, causing a litany of complaints across the league.
Referees botched what probably should have been a Giants fumble recovery in the Eagles’ 38-20 win on Oct. 26. There have also been multiple missed false starts on the tush push.
That’s not the Eagles’ fault, and fans like Shapiro have a right to feel aggrieved. But the tush push, which was nearly banned last offseason, could meet its end in a matter of months.
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