NFL teams can keep using the tush push after ban proposal fails at owners meetings

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Facing stiff resistance around the NFL, the tush push managed to move the chains and gain a fresh set of downs.

League owners narrowly failed to pass a proposal to prohibit the polarizing short-yardage strategy at their spring meetings in Minnesota on Wednesday, keeping the rulebook as is — and pleasing the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

The ban on offensive players from pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping or encircling a runner was supported by a 22-10 vote, according to a person with knowledge of the proceedings, speaking on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the details weren't made public. That's two votes short of the three-quarters majority required by league bylaws to pass it.

The health and safety committees for both the players and the owners and the league's competition committee all unanimously recommended the proposal, which was formally brought forward by the Green Bay Packers at the previous league meetings in Florida seven weeks ago and tabled for further discussion. Such a ban previously existed and was lifted 20 years ago because it was deemed too difficult to consistently enforce.

“We don’t set a low bar,” said Atlanta Falcons chief executive officer Rich McKay, the chairman of the competition committee. “There was a lot of support for it, a lot of discussion about it. I've been in that room numerous times where we've had these types of discussions, where one team ends up being, in their mind, more impacted than others. It still takes 24 votes, and in this case those votes were not there.”

The Eagles brought former center Jason Kelce, one of the players who fueled the success of the tush push, to the meetings to provide a first-hand account of the play that assigns a teammate to push the backside of the quarterback for extra power behind a tight nine-man line. Blockers on the end sometimes pivot to try to pull the ball carrier past the marker, too.

Immediately after the vote, the Eagles posted a picture on social media of quarterback Jalen Hurts on the verge of a short-yardage attempt against the Packers with the caption, “Push on.” Then they posted to their YouTube page a 26-minute tush push highlight montage.

Kelce, a seven-time Pro Bowl pick who retired after the 2023 season, said recently he wasn’t as concerned about a ban of the tush push as he was about clearing up misconceptions it poses an injury risk and was partially responsible for his decision to end his career.

“I’ll come out of retirement today if you tell me all I’ve got to do is run 80 tush pushes to play in the NFL,” Kelce said on the New Heights podcast with his brother Travis Kelce. “I’ll do that gladly. It’ll be the easiest job in the world.”

Kelce declined comment as he departed the meetings at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel next to Vikings team headquarters, where Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie led an impassioned defense of the maneuver his team developed into a nearly unstoppable play with the coinciding arrival of Hurts in 2020. The NFL has no conclusive data supporting a connection between the tush push and an increased risk of injury, as Lurie has noted. He said he was pleased by the vote result but declined further comment.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said with a laugh in a brief interview with reporters he had to make sure he was voting against the play and not just against the rival Eagles, emphasizing his belief that the debate was good for the game regardless of the outcome of the vote.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said he didn't take a stance and was instead simply focusing on fostering a “full discussion” of the issue of aiding quarterbacks in their plunges into the line.

The competition committee three years ago raised concern about the pushing and pulling of ball carriers further down the field, McKay said, and will emphasize again the importance of officials declaring dead a play that develops into a scrum even if the mass of bodies prevents them from seeing if the runner is down.

The Detroit Lions withdrew their proposal to reseed teams for the playoffs — in order of record rather than awarding the first four spots to division winners — before a vote was taken.

Like the tush push ban, this is an issue that could well come up again in the near future, particularly if an 18-game regular-season schedule is implemented. Goodell said there was no discussion of the additional game, which players oppose, during the meetings this week.

In light of the drastic kickoff changes before last season that became permanent this year with some further alterations, owners approved Wednesday a tweak to the onside kick.

With the goal of increasing the recovery rate, teams may now try them at any point in the game when trailing rather than just in the fourth quarter. Kicking team players, other than the kicker, can also move 1 yard forward to give them a better chance at the ball.

The NFL took some heat for recently removing from the meeting lineup the latest edition of the accelerator program designed to increase diversity in the coaching ranks, but Goodell said he wasn't concerned about the perception that the pause might have been for political reasons.

The program will return at the spring meetings next year while league officials examine ways to make it more effective and efficient, Goodell said, including the potential for increased interaction between coaching prospects and general managers.

AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi and AP Sports Writer Larry Lage contributed.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt arrives at the NFL football owners meeting, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell arrives at the NFL football owners meeting, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones arrives at the NFL football owners meeting, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce arrives at the NFL football spring owners meeting, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, right, arrives ahead of a NFL football owners meeting, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

New Orleans Saints president Dennis Lauscha, front, arrives ahead of an NFL football owners meeting, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan, from left, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Los Angeles Chargers owner Dean Spanos arrive ahead of a NFL football owners meeting, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks to the media during an NFL football owners meeting, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Four years after showing up late for the Beijing Olympics and missing one of his races because of a case of COVID-19, U.S. long track speedskater Casey Dawson is enjoying what he jokingly terms his “villain arc,” peaking at the right time ahead of the Milan Cortina Games.

Dawson secured a spot for next month in the men's 5,000 meters — an event he was forced to skip in 2022 while sick — by winning at that distance at the U.S. Olympic trials in 6 minutes, 12.857 seconds on Friday night.

“I actually got COVID two or three weeks before going to the competition. Tested positive for 50 straight tests,” said Dawson, a 25-year-old from Park City, Utah. “Couldn’t go over to the Games. I missed the opening ceremonies. Missed the 5,000 meters. Showed up 12 hours before my 1,500 meters. So I kind of got a little screwed over from that point of view. But this time around, I’m just looking forward to getting there smoothly and just getting a little bit of redemption.”

And then, with a chuckle, Dawson added: “It’s kind of fun to have, like, my villain arc, I would call it. Just coming back and having some fun.”

Ethan Cepuran was about 6 1/2 seconds back Friday, finishing next in 6:19.335.

The last American man to medal in the 5,000 at an Olympics was Chad Hedrick at the 2006 Turin Games.

Dawson already had secured the lone U.S. place for Milan in the men’s 10,000 — a race not being contested at these trials — and also will be part of the trio for men’s team pursuit at the Olympics.

Dawson, Cepuran and Emery Lehman took the bronze in that event in Beijing four years ago, set the world record in 2024 and claimed gold in the team pursuit at the world championships in March.

In the other race Friday, the women's 3,000, Greta Myers won in 4:06.799. As of now, the United States does not have a berth in Milan for that distance, but one of its athletes could end up in the field if another country relinquishes an opening.

“It's hard to wait,” said Myers, a 21-year-old from Lino Lakes, Minnesota. “But I'm very hopeful. I think it's at least a 50-50 chance that it'll happen.”

The U.S. Olympic roster for long track won't become official until the four-day trials at the Pettit National Ice Center wrap up on Monday. One element that could come into play is that the Americans are allowed to bring a maximum of eight men and six women to these Winter Games.

The biggest star of the team — and the sport — is scheduled to make his trials debut Saturday in the men's 1,000 meters: Jordan Stolz. The 21-year-old from Kewaskum, a town about 40 miles north of Milwaukee, is not just competing at home this week; he's racing at the same rink where he first began taking lessons as a kid.

He made his Olympic debut at age 17 in Beijing four years ago, finishing 13th in the 500 and 14th in the 1,000.

At both the 2023 and 2024 world championships, Stolz earned titles in each of the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters.

He's already pre-qualified for the Olympics based on performances at those three distances. All he really needs to do to lock down berths on the squad for the Feb. 6-22 Milan Cortina Games is show up at the starting line this week.

The 500 and 1,500 are slated for Sunday, and the mass start is Monday.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Casey Dawson, of Park City, Utah, right, and Ethan Cepuran, of Glen Ellyn, lllinois, left, compete in the men's 5,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speed skating at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Howard Fendrich)

The Pettit National Ice Center is seen in Milwaukee on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, the first day of the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speedskating. (AP Photo/Howard Fendrich)