PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Bears were among the 16 teams that voted to ban the “Tush Push,” chairman George McCaskey said Wednesday. The vote total fell well short of the 24 needed to ban the Eagles’ patented sneak in which the quarterback is shoved from behind.
“I know they say that we don’t have sufficient injury data on it, but, to us, it appears to be an inherently unsafe play,” McCaskey said at The Breakers, the oceanfront resort where the NFL held its annual meeting this week.
In committee meetings earlier this month, McCaskey heard from NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills, who he said expressed concern for the safety of the play. McCaskey spoke out in favor of the ban during league meetings this week.
The NFL tabled discussions on the play until their May meeting. The league will consider implementing a rule, which went away in 2004, that banned anyone, from linemen to running backs, from pushing a ballcarrier. At the time, officials said it was too difficult to adjudicate.
“The push play will lead to a broader examination of whether that general rule should be brought back,” McCaskey said. “We think it should be an enhancement to the game, to make it safer for the players.”
The Packers proposed banning the play, which was used mostly by the Super Bowl champion Eagles and Bills last year. McCaskey joked that he didn’t like agreeing with the Bears’ rival.
“I asked the membership to not let that get out,” he said. “That I supported a proposal from Team Voldemort.”
