Another season of the “Brotherly Shove” is coming soon after NFL owners failed to pass a proposal to ban the rugby-style, short-yardage play commonly employed by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
A proposal to eliminate any play involving pushing or shoving ballcarriers forward did not receive the required 24 votes of support on Wednesday at the NFL owners meetings in Eagan, Minn. ESPN reported the final vote was 22-10.
The only rules change adopted by the competition committee on Wednesday is a tweak to onside kick rules to permit a team to declare an onside kick at any time while trailing — not just in the fourth quarter — and line up one yard closer to the opponent. Onside kicks had a success rate of only 6 percent last season.
Not as many teams voted to eliminate the “tush push.”
The Eagles brought a secret weapon for their pre-vote argument on Wednesday. Retired center Jason Kelce joined the Philadelphia contingent led by franchise owner Jeffrey Lurie to present the team’s argument for maintaining the legality of the play.
Shortly after the vote was taken and it was clear a ban wouldn’t be implemented, the Eagles posted a picture of Jalen Hurts under center against the Green Bay Packers with the words “Push On” above the quarterback’s head.
Green Bay was the team that drafted the proposal, citing player safety concerns. The Packers play the Eagles on Nov. 10 in a “Monday Night Football” game at Lambeau Field.
The Eagles defeated the Packers twice last season — in the season opener at Brazil and in a postseason rematch at Philadelphia — and are 3-0 in the matchup since Nick Sirianni was hired in 2021.