NFL reaches decision on tush push ban

The Green Bay Packers formally submitted the proposal to ban the tush push ahead of the NFL owners’ meetings in March. The language of the initial proposal called for implementing a rule that would “prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap.” The play would result in a 10-yard penalty.

Owners decided to table the vote in March but voted at the spring owners’ meetings in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday. The proposal had been modified to call for banning the pushing or pulling of a ball carrier by a teammate anywhere on the field. The language of “immediately at the snap” was removed. You can read more details here.

There were reports in March that roughly half of teams were ready to vote in favor of a tush push ban, so the modified proposal apparently convinced some other owners to vote “yes.” That makes it more likely that the tush push will be banned down the road, but teams will be free to utilize it in 2025.

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles have been so successful with the tush push in recent years that many people refer to the play as the “Brotherly Shove.” Philly used the play multiple times during their Super Bowl run last season.

There was one sequence of plays during the NFC Championship Game where the Washington Commanders kept jumping offsides when they knew Jalen Hurts was about to run the tush push. The Eagles eventually scored, but many fans learned about a stunning NFL rule in the process.