Earlier this offseason, the Green Bay Packers issued a proposal to the NFL to ban the “tush push,” the Philadelphia Eagles’ iconic variation of the classic quarterback sneak play.
In this version, at least one offensive lineman is positioned behind the quarterback and shoves the quarterback forward in order to secure a first down.
The Eagles have run this play to near perfection over the last couple of seasons, and it helped them win the Super Bowl championship a couple of months ago.
Talks on whether the play will be banned have been tabled for now, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hinted that the ban proposal may succeed because of the concern over player safety, per Dov Kleiman.
“I think there are safety issues being considered with the tush push. 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.”
Uh Oh: Roger Goodell on banning the tush push:
“I think there are safety issues being considered with the tush push. 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.”
The… pic.twitter.com/pNlDfxV8jQ
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 1, 2025
Player safety has been a big concern for the league in recent years after data has revealed the number of former players who have been diagnosed with CTE, and it has led to some rule changes to try to reduce the risk of brain trauma.
However, as Goodell himself noted, there is little data to suggest that the “tush push” leads to injuries or brain trauma, which may make it difficult for enough owners to vote in favor of the proposal to ban the play.
For a proposal to pass, 24 of the 32 league owners must vote in favor of it.
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