NFL owners to decide fate of 'tush push'

NFL owners are holding a three-day spring meeting this week in Minnesota, where two of the most-anticipated changes involve a proposal to ban the quarterback-sneak play that has become wildly successful for the Philadelphia Eagles, in particular, and whether to allow NFL players to compete in flag football during the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The latter was approved Tuesday.

Since 2022, the Eagles have converted on reportedly 90% of short-yardage situations by modifying the typical quarterback sneak by stationing multiple teammates behind quarterback Jalen Hurts to push him forward at the snap. While the so-called tush push is not used exclusively by the Eagles, it was integral to their winning last season's Super Bowl.

Earlier this offseason, the Green Bay Packers emerged as the most vocal opponents of the play, creating a proposal that would "prohibit any offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap."

In February, Packers president Mark Murphy wrote bluntly on the team’s website that the play was "bad for the game, and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner." Murphy added that "there is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less." (The Packers were 0-2 against Philadelphia last season.)

In April, team owners tabled a vote on whether to keep or ban the play. The Eagles reportedly used the extension to lobby owners to reject the proposed ban. During the Eagles' trip to the White House in April to celebrate their Super Bowl title, President Donald Trump publicly supported keeping the "tush push" legal.

"They should keep it," Trump said. "I like it. It's sort of exciting and different."

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni responded, "We also appreciate the endorsement for the tush push."

The NFL has used its cachet to support creating flag football leagues across the country in recent years and runs its own, yet whether the league and its players union would permit players to take part in the flag football competition during the 2028 Olympics remained to be seen because of injury risks. The Olympics will feature six men's teams and six women's teams, with 10 players each.

Owners approved a resolution that would permit participating national teams to select one player per NFL roster. In addition, each roster's “designated international player” would be allowed to play for his country.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement Tuesday that including flag football in the Olympics “has sparked a tremendous amount of excitement among NFL players interested in the chance to compete for their country on the world stage. We are thrilled that they will now have that chance.”

Because the 2028 Olympics will run from July 14 to July 30, they will end before the NFL's preseason schedule begins, making it easier for the league to accommodate.

Cities that host each Olympics are permitted to add competitions on a one-time basis, which is how organizers in Los Angeles added flag football, cricket, softball, lacrosse and squash and brought back baseball and softball, which were not contested at the 2012, 2016 or 2024 Olympics but were played in 2020. How well the additions are received helps determine whether they are contested in future Olympics.