Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) lines up for the tush push play on the goal line against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The fate of the tush will be decided Wednesday at the NFL Owners Meetings in Minneapolis. The proposal to ban the play was initially introduced by the Green Bay Packers in March, but was going to fall short of the 24 votes needed. Instead, talks were tabled until this week.
Since Nick Sirianni got hired in 2021, the play has been a staple of the Eagles’ short-yardage situation gameplan. The combination of Jalen Hurts’ lower body strength and the Eagles’ overpowering offensive line has allowed them to be dominant with the play. It was a key fixture of their run to two Super Bowl appearances in three seasons.
To Philly fans, the tush push has become a rallying cry. Fans can be seen acting out the play everywhere. Weddings, pregame tailgates or even at the Super Bowl Parade, where a group of Philadelphia Police officers did it.
My buddy Cody and his groomsmen doing the Tush Push for their wedding reception in the Bahamas! They will be watching the NFC title game in the Bahamas and the plane back pic.twitter.com/zS2OumtzM8
On Pattison spoke to a slew of Eagles fans in Center City Tuesday. You won't be surprised to learn that nearly everyone we talked to doesn't want to see the play legislated out of the sport.
"What instantly comes to my thoughts are, football is a physical game, and you can do something like that,” said Eagles fan Harvey Rothstein. “It shouldn't be banned.”
A common sentiment among Eagles supporters is that the ban is rooted in jealousy from other teams.
"Every team has the ability to try it out, like, I just don't understand why they're trying to ban it,” Thomas Johnson said. “It’s probably because we're so successful at it.”
Johnson added that there’s an excitement when the Eagles have 3rd-and-1 or 4th-and-1. He and his family look at each other and smile, knowing what’s coming next. They always joke, wondering whether a team can stop the play, which rarely happens.
With a potential ban looming, Johnson is disappointed that sort of excitement will be taken away. If the NFL outlaws the play, he thinks it’ll only create an even bigger culture surrounding it.
"People are just gonna go even crazier about it,” Johnson said. “It doesn't matter if it stays or goes, it's still gonna stay in Philly. The Tush Push is never gonna leave."
The legality of the play has sparked debates among players and team executives, especially Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu. During the NFC Championship game, Luvu infamously jumped over the Eagles’ offensive line three times at the goal line to try and stop Hurts from scoring. The Commanders were penalized so much that the referees warned that they could award the Eagles a touchdown if the infractions continued.
“I think they should ban it.”
-Commanders linebacker and Tush Push legend Frankie Luvu pic.twitter.com/abfL7CJPeV
In a recent interview with Kyle Brant on Good Morning Football, Luvu was quick to denounce the play.
"I think they should ban it,” Luvu said. “...It’s pretty much a scrum in rugby, that’s how I look at it."
Luvu became public enemy No. 1 in Philly after his antics during the Eagles blowout win over the Commanders.
When LB Frankie Luvu tried to disrupt the @Eagles tush push in the NFC Championship, officials warned the @Commanders that they may invoke the rarely used, but long-standing, @NFL Rule 12.3.2 on "Palpably Unfair Acts."
Learn more bout the rule: https://t.co/cxM5ZPtutG pic.twitter.com/KHS4ilHh1f
Tom Sciallanca is one of the rare people who actually sympathizes with Luvu and opposing teams. Sciallanca still thinks the play should be legal, but understands the difficulty of defending it.
"If I was a Commanders fan or something like that, I would hate that,” Sciallanca said. “I would hate that move. But, like I said, when something is that successful, sometimes you have people that are against it."
If the NFL gets rid of the play, Johnson and Sciallanca both think the Eagles will still be good in short-yardage situations. Sciallanca trusts Sirianni to be creative and come up with a new wrinkle, while Johnson is confident in the Eagles’ offensive line.
PHLY’s Zach Berman pointed out that when Sirianni was the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive coordinator, they had success using Jacoby Brissett on quarterback sneaks. Granted, Brissett is a lot bigger than Hurts — 6-foot-4 and 231 pounds compared to 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds — but the Eagles still have the backbone to be effective in short-yardage situations.
Even with that, Sirianni doesn’t want the play to go away.
"I see stuff that it's an automatic play," Sirianni told Berman and other reporters. "...I almost feel a little insulted because we work so hard at that play. The amount of thing that we've looked into on how to coach that play — the fundamentals. ...I can't tell you how many times we practice the snap, we practice the play, because it's not an easy play to practice."
Sirianni and Eagles fans can make all the noise they want, but the decision is out of their hands. For now, the Tush Push’s fate lies with the NFL owners.
