FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The 2025 rule proposal to ban the "tush push" did not receive the required 75% support from NFL owners to pass during Wednesday's vote at spring league meetings in Minneapolis.
Conversations surrounding the proposed rule change were tabled back in April at Annual League Meetings when only 16 of the 32 owners voted in favor of the ban. That was eight short of the required 24 votes to pass.
Wednesday's count at the spring league meetings fell two votes short, according to The Athletic.
The Green Bay Packers submitted the rule change proposal. Their original wording in April sought to specifically eliminate the tush push "immediately at the snap," and therefore seemed directed toward the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles. The Packers broadened their language for the May vote to prohibit any pushing or pulling of the ball carrier anywhere on the field.
The updated proposed rule change stated an offensive player "cannot assist the runner except by individually blocking opponent for him."
When news of the proposed rule change first made rounds at the 2025 NFL Combine, a month before any voting, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris made it very clear where he stood on the matter.
"I thought it should have been illegal three years ago," Morris said. "The tush-push play, I was never a big fan. There's just no other play in our game where you can absolutely get behind somebody and push them."
The tush push – also known as the "brotherly shove" – originated in Philadelphia and is rather self-explanatory. Two teammates line up behind Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Once he receives the snap, the two teammates push him as he lunges forward, hoping to gain enough yards to either score a touchdown or secure a first down.
According to ESPN Research, the Eagles and Bills have combined to run 163 tush-push plays in the last three seasons, which is more than the rest of the NFL combined. They have scored a touchdown or secured a first down on 87% of their attempts, while the rest of the league has been successful on 71%.
This is the second time the tush push has been flagged to the NFL Competition Committee. The first time was three years ago, as Morris noted. At the time, banning the hip-drop tackle was prioritized. Again, the tush push was not.
"I never really understood it," Morris said, "why that was legal."
