The tush push lives to see another season, as the push to ban the innovative quarterback sneak made popular by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles fell two votes short of the 75% (24 of 32) necessary for a rule change.
Those opposing the play have cited a variety of reasons for their decisions, from somewhat nebulous claims about it being more dangerous than the average NFL play to the assertion that the rugby-style scrum is "not football." Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones can be an open book on topics like this and on Wednesday, after joining 21 of his fellow owners to vote in favor of banning the play, he admitted that for him, it may have come down to taking a weapon away from his division rivals.
“Here we are, the world champion is the main focus of the tush push, and here we are debating it, and having to decide, well am I really against the tush push, or just don’t want Philadelphia to have an edge?” Jones told reporters Wednesday.
As of Wednesday afternoon he still hadn't totally settled on where he stood.
"I don't know, I flip flop," he said, drawing laughs.
Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones said that in tush push debate, he had to ask himself whether he’s really against the play or he just wants to stop the Eagles.
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) May 21, 2025
Which did he land on?
“I don’t know,” Jerry laughed. “I flip flop.” pic.twitter.com/9lQkcjBQus
When it mattered, he landed on the anti-Philadelphia side, although it wasn't enough to ban the play. In fact, none of the Eagles' NFC East rivals voted with them. Another NFC team—the Green Bay Packers—proposed the rule change, and among Philly's conference foes, only the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints (coached by former Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore) voted to protect the tush push.
This story may not be over; indications are that the NFL is on the side of the ban, with Pro Football Talk reporting that the league "recruited" the Packers to put forth the proposal.
If Roger Goodell & Co. want the play outlawed, odds are they'll try again next year, though as Jones's quotes show, even some of those who backed the majority this time don't totally know where they fall in the now years-long debate.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jerry Jones Said the Quiet Part Out Loud About Voting to Ban Tush Push.
