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The NFL’s most controversial play has Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan, joining the conversation.
The feared Eagles push, where quarterback Jalen Hurts is pushed over the line for a gain or the goal line for a touchdown, has drawn heavy criticism midway through the 2025 NFL season. It has been difficult to properly officiate the play amid another good start for Philadelphia.
There was a vote last offseason on whether butt shoving should be banned after the Green Bay Packers submitted a formal proposal. The vote failed, allowing the Eagles (and every other NFL team) to make the play this season.
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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) scores on the tush push during the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles on December 3, 2023 at Lincoln Financial Field. (Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
There’s been talk again that the owners should revisit the vote, but Shapiro loves how the play is working out for his team. He wants her to stay.
“Hell no!” he told Puck’s Peter Hamby when asked if the play should be banned. “And by the way, it’s absolute nonsense that these other teams that can’t guard Jalen Hurts, that don’t have an offensive line like the Eagles have built under the incredible leadership of Howie Roseman, now want to ban him. I mean, it’s ridiculous.
“If they want to be successful, maybe they should go out and draft a great quarterback like Jalen Hurts?”
EAGLES GREAT JASON KELCE SAYS THE DIFFICULTY OF OFFERING THE TUSH PUSH ‘WOULD BE A REASON TO BAN IT’
Hurts, despite winning a Super Bowl last season and earning Super Bowl MVP honors, has often been left out of the elite quarterback conversation, which typically includes Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and others.
Shapiro said he’s tired of the disrespect.
“Frankly, I’m also sick and tired of Jalen Hurts not getting the respect he deserves. I think he deserves respect. The Birds deserve respect, and the decision to ban the butt push is simply an excuse for not having a good enough team to do it,” he said.
Eagles legend Jason Kelce, who played a key role in the success of the tush push, recently admitted that if the play is difficult to officiate, that would be “a reason to ban it.”
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) appears to fumble the ball while executing the Tush Push play during the game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. The game took place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 26, 2025. (Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I know there’s been a lot of noise around false starts and now this play, and I understand it,” he said in his new heights podcast. “If it’s difficult to officiate the butt push, that would certainly be a reason to ban it.”
Kelce’s comments came after the Eagles’ victory over the New York Giants, when perhaps the most controversial butt-pushing decision of the season occurred. Giants running back Kayvon Thibodeaux ripped the ball out of Hurts’ hands as he tried to extend his arms for a first down. Hurts kept moving on the play, which looked like a fumble to those watching.
However, officials ruled the play dead for forward progress, saying Hurts was already over the first down line for the win. Giants head coach Brian Daboll was furious and many across the football world weighed in. The consensus was that it should have been ruled a fumble, and even Kelce agreed.
“It was a fumble, they lost it,” he said.
At the same time, Kelce defended the play no matter how it was officiated.
“I know everyone wants to get back to work. Again, I don’t see how this has anything to do with the push. Officials ignore calls for progress all the time,” he said. “I’m not looking to make excuses; I just don’t know what these little things have to do with pushing fangs. It will still be a problem if the Eagles sneak around the quarterback; that’s my only warning.”
Governor Josh Shapiro speaks at the Celebrate Freedom Ceremony during Wawa Welcome America on July 4, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)
The push will continue for the rest of the season, and Eagles fans like Shapiro will love every time Hurts is pushed forward for extra yards.
Whether players, coaches or fans like it or not, the hope is that officials will simply call it right.
