Patriots sided with former Super Bowl foe on controversial NFL vote that kept iconic play from banishment in 2025
Mike Vrabel stayed true to his word. At the annual league meetings in March, the New England Patriots' head coach was asked about his thoughts on the controversial "tush push" play. And he didn't hold back. "What I think we should not do, and be careful of, is there's a lot of different plays that […]
Mike Vrabel stayed true to his word.
At the annual league meetings in March, the New England Patriots' head coach was asked about his thoughts on the controversial "tush push" play. And he didn't hold back.
"What I think we should not do, and be careful of, is there's a lot of different plays that you have to defend that the offense does well — and that particular play you have to defend it. It's also tough to defend Lamar Jackson when he runs the ball," Vrabel said. "So I'm all in favor of getting rid of those plays that are tough to defend, but, you know, we just try to focus on what the rules are and try to use them to our advantage.”
And when it came time to vote on Tuesday, the Patriots were one of ten teams who sided with the Eagles.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that New England, the Baltimore Ravens, The Detroit Lions, and the New York Jets were the teams that voted not to ban the play.
The vote ultimately ended with 22 teams voting in favor of banning it while, but they needed 24 for it to pass.
The tush push is a play the Eagles made famous where they use players in the backfield to push the quarterback to gain short yardage. Some of the arguments to ban it was due to safety. However, former Philadelphia center Jason Kelce attended with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and gave a speech to the room.
It clearly worked, and the tush push will remain for at least one more season.
NFL insider reveals multiple teams that sided with the Eagles and one of them is particularly surprising
They had just enough support.
