Jason Kelce doubles down on his stance against tush push ban: "The officials have allowed it from both sides"
Ex-Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce has rebutted criticism of the disputed "tush push" play. He is calling attention to defensive players utilizing pushing methods under these short-yardage plays. This observation counters claims that the play unfairly favors the offense.
Jason Kelce, who recently retired from the NFL following a Hall of Fame career with the Eagles, was a crucial piece in Philadelphia's successful run of the play. The play is also dubbed the "Brotherly Shove."
The veteran center made his latest comments on Apr. 3 in response to a fan's social media comment on a video clip from the "New Heights" podcast. In the clip, Jason Kelce gives his take on the play. The fan had suggested making the play fair by allowing the defense to push too.
"I can show you tons of clips where the defense in fact is pushing too. The officials have allowed it from both sides on that play," Kelce had tweeted in response.
This statement comes as NFL owners have tabled a proposal from the Green Bay Packers to ban the play, delaying the vote until May 2025. The Eagles have scored 27 touchdowns using the tush push over the past three seasons, making them the team most closely associated with the controversial tactic.
Jason Kelce lists the pitfalls of banning the "Brotherly Shove"
During the "New Heights" podcast episode, Jason Kelce expanded on his opposition to banning the play. He questioned how such a rule could be consistently applied across different game situations.
"I think it's going to be a hard rule to enforce," he said. "Like, are gang tackles outlawed? When big Creed Humphrey gets behind a running back and he's pushing him, pushing the pile forward, do we not want that? Because I like that."
Kelce also addressed safety concerns. He called the claims that the play increases injury risk "kind of bogus" and "pure conjecture, not rooted in fact." He acknowledged that while the play may appear dangerous, he never felt an increased risk of injury during its execution compared to other plays.
His brother, Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, also defended the play on the podcast.
"Listen, there are four downs that a team gets to get a first down or get in the end zone," Travis said. "The tush push is just one play that you run when you have a short-yardage situation. Those may come up a handful of times throughout a game."
The discussion around the tush push intensified after data revealed that 65 of the 101 such plays last season came from the Eagles and Buffalo Bills combined.
Some league figures like Bills coach Sean McDermott have advocated banning the play on safety grounds.