(PHOTO CREDIT: AP IMAGES)

The UFL has decided to eliminate the Tush Push play, which has generated much debate regarding its impact on player safety and traditional football strategy. This decision could significantly affect short-yardage situations.

The ban comes shortly after NFL competition committee co-chairman Rich McKay said this past Sunday that the league is not expecting to consider banning the tush push ahead of the 2026 season, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss and Kevin Seifert.

Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles popularized the “tush push” in the NFL, in which quarterbacks are shoved from behind by teammates in the backfield while attempting QB sneaks.

When the Eagles debuted the play, it was essentially unstoppable, creating controversy around the league. A proposal to ban the play was put up to team owners ahead of the 2025 season before failing by only two votes. It was the Green Bay Packers who proposed the rule change in the NFL a year ago, and when they did, it created an absolute frenzy. 

And now, the UFL banned it.

Prohibiting the play as “a play in which, after the quarterback takes the snap, he immediately drives forward as the offensive line surges and is assisted by additional players behind him who physically push him forward into the surging offensive line.”

One pro football league has banned it…. but will the NFL? Even though it’s not going to this year, it remains to be seen about beyond next season.