Eagles Reportedly Believed Tush Push Was 'Misunderstood' Before NFL Vote on Ban

The NFL failed to rally enough votes to ban the Tush Push on Wednesday, with only 22 team owners voting to outlaw the now-infamous version of the quarterback sneak. The league needed 24 votes to make the rule change.

One factor in the rule being upheld, at least for one more season, may have been the Eagles' contingency making an impassioned argument in favor of the Tush Push during Wednesday's league meeting.

"The way it was told to me, from one Eagles official, is that they think that what's happening on this play is misunderstood and in that room with Jeffrey Lurie and Jason Kelce, they were able to clarify how the play is coached and how it's taught," ESPN's Adam Schefter said on his podcast Wednesday (2:50 mark). "They made a compelling case on safety and taking away the downfield push that turned people off. From an offensive perspective—and this is how it was explained to me from my notes—it's not a linear player crashing head first into an opponent. The objective is to play with leverage, get below your opponent, and then rise up to create the wave that the ball carrier can ride, and that's what the Eagles do. And so the league, the people that voted against this play who wanted it banned, they believe they're taking a proactive stance towards health and safety. But there just weren't enough teams to get it done, and so the Tush Push lives another day."

It's very possible, given the amount of votes rallied against the Tush Push, that the rule will be revisited a year from now. It has previously been discussed as well, though to this point has survived every challenge to its existence.

The Eagles run the play to near-automatic success, with a 91.3 percent conversation rate since 2022 on 92 attempts. That has included scoring eight touchdowns on the play in that time.

So it's no major surprise that the Eagles have staunchly defended the play's existence and fought to keep it legal. For now, the effort has succeeded, but it's likely a conversation that isn't going away amid ongoing safety concerns and many people feeling as though the Tush Push doesn't fall under the vague purview of being a "football play."