NFL owners vote to keep tush push

NFL owners voted for the tush push to remain legal Wednesday at the spring league meeting in Minneapolis.

Ten of 32 teams voted against the ban, sources told The Athletic's Dianna Russini. The proposed ban needed at least 24 supporting votes to pass. The Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Detroit Lions were among the teams that sided with the Eagles on Wednesday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"We took all the necessary vote counts and realized that was not a rule that was ready to be passed," NFL competition committee chairman Rich McKay said Wednesday, according to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports.

The Green Bay Packers submitted a proposal to ban the tush push in February, citing player safety issues and competitiveness. However, a vote in April was tabled after 16 owners voted to ban the play.

Green Bay recently updated the proposal's language to prohibit pushing or pulling a ball carrier in "any direction at any time" or helping lift a runner to his feet. Offensive players wouldn't be allowed to assist a runner except by individually blocking opponents. The original proposal sought to "prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in April that the league was aware of the potential safety risk of the play despite limited data.

Banning the tush push became a hot topic after the Philadelphia Eagles made their version of the play virtually unstoppable in recent years.

With quarterback Jalen Hurts sneaking forward in short-yardage situations while being helped by a push from his teammates in the backfield, the Eagles converted 28 of their 34 tush-push attempts last season en route to winning the Super Bowl in February.

The Eagles celebrated the result of Wednesday's vote on social media.

The Eagles beat the Packers twice during the 2024 season, including a wild-card victory. The teams are scheduled to play again Nov. 10 in Green Bay on Monday Night Football.

Former Philadelphia center Jason Kelce - who retired last year - was in Minnesota on Wednesday lobbying NFL owners to keep the tush push.

The Eagles ran the tush push 108 times over the past three seasons, easily the most in the NFL, according to ESPN. The Buffalo Bills rank second with 55 sneaks.

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