The NFL is wrapping up their annual league meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., this week and while some rule changes—such as new regular season overtime rules and a new way to measure first downs—were approved, an important decision on whether or not to ban the "Tush Push" has been tabled.
As we know, the innovative quarterback sneak made popular by the Philadelphia Eagles is a polarizing play laced with both injury concerns and questions about whether it's a "football play." When speaking on the all things "tush" and "push" on Tuesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell gave his take on the matter—and sounded in favor of a rule change.
"I think there are safety issues being considered with the tush push," he explained. "We have very little data but we see the potential risk. It makes a lot of sense to go back to the old rule prohibiting pulling or pushing ball carriers."
Prior to 2005, the NFL prohibited ball carriers from being pushed or pulled by their teammates. While they ultimately changed the rule as it was deemed "too difficult" to officiate, perhaps they'll bring it back in a revised fashion for the Tush Push.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on the tush push pic.twitter.com/znbdCBg3Lr
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"We're not looking at this [in] the context of one team, we're looking at this particular play that may have an increased potential for injuries," the commissioner later continued. "As I said before, one of the things we're looking at is the rule we had prior to 2004 that didn't allow a lot of that pull or push anywhere on the field. And some of those hits happen outside of a 'Tush Push', and that's one of the things that we want the committee to go back and look at with our health and safety team, to look at those incidents, and [see] should our rule be broader than just a 'Tush Push'."
Long story short, with no vote held, the play will live to see another day—at least for now.