NFL postpones a decision on the tush push but passes other rule changes

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NFL postpones a decision on the tush push but passes other rule changes

2025-04-02 06:35 Last Updated At：06:40

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A decision on the future of the tush push has been pushed until next month.

NFL team owners had been set to vote Tuesday on Green Bay’s proposal to ban the play that’s helped the Philadelphia Eagles win one Super Bowl and reach another, but it was tabled until May.

Team owners approved modifying the kickoff rule, expanding replay assist, revising overtime rules, along with other changes.

Postponing the tush push vote means the debate will continue while teams gather more information. Proponents of the play and those who oppose it presented strong arguments while the league's medical experts expressed safety concerns.

NFL Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay stressed the issues surrounding the play extend beyond safety because there's not enough data to indicate it's dangerous. The league already has said no injuries have been reported on a tush push.

“There are definitely some people that have health and safety concerns, but there’s just as many people that have football concerns,” McKay said. “So I wouldn’t say it was because of one particular health and safety video or discussion. It was much more about the play, the aesthetics of the play, is it part of what football has been traditionally, or is it more of a rugby play? All those types of discussions. Health and safety is still there because of potential but I wouldn’t go beyond that.”

The league prohibited pushing or pulling a player before a rule change in 2004. McKay said the Packers asked to pull the proposal so they could reintroduce the previous language, study it, and bring it up for discussion for a vote at the May meetings.

It takes 24 of 32 votes to approve rule changes.

“There’s a lot of discussion about going back to the previous rule, back to pre-2004,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “I think that makes a lot of sense in many ways because it expands it beyond that single play. There are a lot of plays where you see someone pulling or pushing somebody that are not in the tush push formation that I think do have an increased risk of injury. And so I think the committee will look at that and come back in May with some proposals.”

As for changes that did pass, regular-season overtime rules now will match those in the playoffs and both teams will have a chance to get a possession even if the offense scores a touchdown on the opening drive. The proposal was amended to make overtime 10 minutes, not 15 minutes.

Owners also approved a proposal from the NFL Competition Committee to allow replay assist to consult on-field officials to overrule objective calls such as facemask penalties, whether there was forcible contact to the head or neck area, horse-collar tackles or tripping if there was “clear and obvious” evidence that a foul didn’t occur. Replay also would be able to overturn a roughing-the-kicker or running-into-the-kicker penalty if video showed the defender made contact with the ball.

Replay assist could wipe out a foul only if it was incorrectly called, but it will not be used to throw a flag if a penalty wasn't called.

The dynamic kickoff rule becomes permanent, with touchbacks moving to the 35-yard line instead of the 30.

Pittsburgh's proposal to allow teams to have one video or phone call with no more than five prospective unrestricted free agents during the two-day negotiation period was approved. Teams now can make travel arrangements with such players upon agreeing to terms.

Also, owners approved a rule to permit clubs to prepare kicking footballs (“K-Balls”) before game day, similar to the process permitted for game footballs.

Detroit's proposal for playoff seeding to be based on winning percentage was also tabled for May. The proposal to stop automatic first downs from being awarded on defensive holding and illegal contact penalties didn't pass.

Philadelphia’s version of the quarterback sneak sparked the most intense discussions.

Bills coach Sean McDermott was among those leading the push to get rid of it, even though Buffalo used it more than any team other than the Eagles.

“It’s two things. It’s force, added force, No. 1, and then the posture of the players, being asked to execute that type of play, that’s where my concern comes in," McDermott said Monday. "I’m not a doctor. I’m not going to get too deep into that situation there, in terms of how much data, how much sample. I don’t think that’s really always the best way to go. There is other data out there that suggests when you’re in a posture like we’re talking about, that can lead to serious injury. I think being responsible and proactive in that regard is the right way to go.”

The Eagles began using the play in short-yardage situations in 2022. Two or three players line up behind quarterback Jalen Hurts and push him forward. Several other teams including the Bills began using it, but no team has matched Philadelphia’s success rate.

“There’s no data that shows it isn’t a very safe play, or else we wouldn’t be pushing the tush push,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said.

The NFL is expanding prohibited acts to include banning the “nose wipe” gesture that league executive Troy Vincent said is affiliated with gangs.

The unsportsmanlike conduct rule now states: "any violent gesture, which shall include but not be limited to a throat slash, simulating firing or brandishing a gun, or using the ‘nose wipe’ gesture, or an act that is sexually suggestive or offensive.

Vincent said “violent gestures” used by players increased 133% and “sexual taunting” went up 52%.

“We have to be responsible adults," Vincent said. “We’re not trying to take away the spontaneous moments. But the shooting and the killing and the sexual acts — you’re a professional.”

The NFL will use Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology for virtual line-to-gain measurements next season, but officials will continue to spot the football and the chain crew will remain on the sideline in a secondary role.

The virtual measurement system allows the NFL to accurately and efficiently measure the distance between the spotted ball and the line to gain. The technology was tested extensively last season.

The NFL is planning a Christmas Day tripleheader this year after playing two games last year when the holiday fell on a Wednesday.

Many NFL players have said they'd like to play flag football in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles since the sport was added in 2023. But they'll need their teams to sign off on their participation.

“I’ve heard directly from a lot of players who want to participate and represent their country, whether it’s United States or the country that they came from,” Goodell said. “I think that’s something that we’ll continue to discuss with, not just the union, but also the clubs. I think both of those are things that we’ll probably resolve sometime in the next 60 days.”

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

Tentative deal is reached in House Republican fight over proxy voting for new parents

2025-04-07 11:05 Last Updated At：11:11

WASHINGTON (AP) — A tentative deal has been reached with the Florida Republican leading a bipartisan push to allow proxy voting in the U.S. House for new parents, potentially ending a standoff that halted legislative work for days and threatened to delay a vote this week to advance President Donald Trump's agenda.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who has been leading the bipartisan push on proxy voting, reached the deal, Luna said in a social media post on Sunday.

Rather than allow proxy voting, Luna said the agreement would formalize a “pairing” system long used in Congress where one member who is physically present in the House cancels out the vote of someone who is absent. Luna said the voting option would be open to all Republicans who are unable to vote, including new parents, the bereaved and lawmakers facing various medical and family emergencies.

“If we truly want a pro-family Congress, these are the changes that need to happen,” Luna said.

No further details were immediately available. It was also unclear if the deal would be agreed to by the other lawmakers who had signed on to the proxy voting proposal.

The agreement with Luna could end days of back-and-forth over allowing new parents in Congress to vote by proxy for 12 weeks as they care for their newborns. Johnson has vigorously opposed the effort, calling it an affront to the Constitution that would open “Pandora’s box."

But some Republicans refused to go along with Johnson's bid to kill the resolution, with nine of them defying him in a vote last week.

By reaching a deal, Republican leaders will likely be able to move ahead this week on key legislative priorities — most critically a revised version of the budget framework that opens the door to Trump’s push for trillions of dollars in tax breaks. The Senate approved that budget framework early Saturday morning after grinding through a late-night session.

Trump had said he was in favor of allowing proxy voting for new parents after speaking with Luna, though he said he would defer to Johnson how the House should operate. “I don’t know why it’s controversial,” Trump said.

Luna, who gave birth during her first term in Congress, had championed the proxy voting resolution alongside Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen of Colorado, who has a 4-month-old son. The effort drew significant bipartisan support, with 218 lawmakers — the majority of the House, many young parents themselves — signing onto a petition that could trigger a floor vote.

The resolution would allow proxy voting for lawmakers who have given birth or pregnant lawmakers who are unable to travel safely or have a serious medical condition. It would also apply to lawmakers whose spouses are pregnant or giving birth.

Pettersen, who has carried her son onto the floor during recent House votes, said the institution needs to change with the times. About a dozen women have given birth while in Congress over the years, and there are many new fathers as well.

“It is unfathomable that in 2025 we have not modernized Congress,” she said.

But Johnson, like GOP leaders before him, loathes proxy voting, which had been put in place for about two years during the COVID-19 lockdowns when Democrats had control of the House.

“It was quickly abused. Republicans put an end to it then, and we cannot allow it again,” Johnson said in a social media post.