Packers Revise NFL Rule Change Proposal for Potential Tush Push Ban

The Green Bay Packers' efforts to get the tush push banned continued on Monday as the team revised the language in a proposal regarding the play.

The Packers added the word "push" and included that no player should lift another player to his feet. The team also removed a section from the rule that would disallow players from using "interlocking interference."

Additionally, the Packers added a section that would disallow players from assisting "the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him."

The Packers initially submitted the rule change proposal in February, and NFL owners were set to vote on it in April, but they voted to table the vote to ban the tush push until a later date. Talks are expected to resume and a potential vote could take place at the Spring League Meeting on Tuesday in Minneapolis.

The revised language takes a broader approach rather than singling out the tush push that the Philadelphia Eagles have perfected. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo noted that the new language reflects a return to the language used in a former rule that disallowed pushing or pulling the runner anywhere on the field.

While the new proposal doesn't exactly describe that play that the Eagles run, the aspect that prohibits pushing in any capacity would make the tush push illegal in its current form.

The initial proposal sought to ban the immediate pushing of the player who receives the snap, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted.

NFL owners have cited player safety as a key reason for banning the tush push and plays similar to it, but there is no substantial evidence to back claims that it leads to injury.

Evidence of danger or not, the fate of the tush push lies in the hands of the NFL owners. The proposal needs 24 votes to be passed. If it is passed, the defending champion Eagles will have to find a new way to convert in short-yardage situations.