As funny as the name sounds, the ‘Tush Push’ is a dangerous weapon when used correctly. This play, often used and mastered by the Philadelphia Eagles, has been the centre of controversy for quite some time. However, with the plan to ban it being pushed out, the Eagles players and fans are the happiest. With many already celebrating the vote and some even dissing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for supporting the ban.
One Eagles player has already thought of what he would say to the NFL commissioner if they met in an elevator. In addition to convincing him why the Tush Push should not be banned, he also spoke of a topic that has not been spoken of often. At least in the NFL. However, with recent trends, there is a good possibility that this will start an honest conversation. A conversation that may even force the NFL to make a huge change in the way they’ve done things before.
In an interview with teammates Reed Blankenship and Cooper DeJean, Eagles RB Saquon Barkley made some pretty huge statements. In a clip of the interview posted on Instagram, Barkley can be seen talking about the Tush Push and the bid to ban it. When asked what his (Barkey’s) thoughts were on people wanting to ban it, he simply replied with, “I think it’s soft.” He went on to say how it’s not something that’s a secret or protected for the Eagles. “Everybody can do it. Like it’s not like a play that like we only can do. Everybody can do. It’s not trademarked,” Barkley commented, while also saying that the attempt to ban the play just because other teams couldn’t execute the move was unfair. “They’re not successful with it. So it’s not something that like everyone can’t do, right? Like, don’t try to eliminate it. It’s just like I think that’s kind of lame,” Barkley said.
Later in the interview, Barkley faced a hypothetical situation. What if you were in an elevator with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and you got 30 seconds to pitch him not to ban the Tush Push, what would you say? Usually, if it were one of us, we’d try and make a whole presentation, but not Saquon Barkley. He had his answer ready. Just a few words. “I mean, it’s gonna be less than 30. Everybody can do it, there’s no health issue,” Barkley said, before going on and pointing at something else. The need for fully guaranteed contracts.
Expressing his surprise at why there isn’t much talk of it in the NFL. While at the same time, it is a non-negotiable for players in the MLB and NBA, he asked, “That don’t bother you guys?” “Like for you guys, who are younger, especially you, who’s the youngest one of all of us, there’s gotta be a point,” said Barkley, hoping to start a conversation for fully guaranteed contracts for the newer generation. Also mentioning that they play a sport which is the toughest “physicality-wise“, Barkley said, “There’s no reason why we put our bodies on the line, our minds, our brains on the line. It should be fully guaranteed. In my opinion.” Emphasising a major change that the NFL should make for the sake of the players and their financial well-being, irrespective of other factors not in their hands.
Unlike trying to ban the Tush Push, it doesn’t seem that the NFL will be all too keen to mandate fully guaranteed contracts anytime soon.
What is going on with the Tush Push?
The controversial ‘Brotherly Shove’ or, as it is also called, Tush Push, has been making headlines for a long time. But it seems that the matter has been settled for now. After the Green Bay Packers sent a revised version of their proposal prohibiting “an offensive player from pushing, pulling, lifting or assisting the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him,” the NFL called a meeting between its executives and team owners to decide the fate of the controversial play.
The meeting, as predicted, was heated and very intense. As a matter of fact, the Eagles‘ owner, Jeffrey Lurie even got into a spat with the 49ers owner, Jed York. Not just this. Lurie even took shots at Roger Goodell and executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent for supporting the ban. ESPN’s Seth Wickersham also said that the Philadelphia Eagles’ owner gave “an impassioned speech in defense of the play” that went on for approximately an hour.
It was also the effort of Jason Kelce, who provided clarity on the play in the meeting. Nick Sirianni, too, played an important role outside the meeting room. Convincing everyone through the media on why the play must continue. Somehow, everything the Eagles did worked out, and they won the vote. Or at least didn’t lose it, as the proposal received 22 votes instead of the 24 required to approve it. Meaning, for the 2025 season, the Tush Push is still legal.
However, this will not be the end of the controversy. Many still expect this topic to blow up further as the Eagles make more and more successful Tush Push attempts. This means we could yet again see the NFL have some meetings or make major decisions before the 2026 season starts next year.
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