NFL owners approve player participation in Olympic flag football

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, centre, and teammates run the tush push play during the NFL championship playoff football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola, FIle)

EAGAN, Minn. — NFL owners unanimously approved allowing players to participate in flag football for the 2028 Olympics.

The vote at the spring meetings Tuesday authorized the league to negotiate safety provisions and scheduling logistics with the NFL Players Association and relevant international and national team governing bodies before it becomes reality during the Summer Games in Los Angeles.

No more than one player per NFL club would be permitted. Olympic rosters will be selected by the national committee for each country.

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Can the tush push cross the goal line for good? Or will the NFL’s touchy and trendy short-yardage strategy ultimately get stuffed?

League owners will answer that question in Minnesota, where they’re holding their spring meetings next to Vikings headquarters on Tuesday and Wednesday. After tabling the issue seven weeks ago for further discussion, a vote is expected on the proposal by the Green Bay Packers to prohibit the play popularized by the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. To pass the ban, 24 of the 32 teams must approve.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said last month he believes the owners will reach a consensus on the issue that involves both competitive integrity and player safety. The league released a revised proposal by the Packers on Monday that broadens the language to prohibit pushing, pulling, lifting or encircling a runner by any offensive player, not specific to quarterback assists. The penalty is 10 yards. This is what the rulebook stated 20 years ago, until the ban was lifted because of the difficulty of enforcement.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has been leading the defense of the play his team developed with the coinciding arrival of strong-legged quarterback Jalen Hurts in 2020.

The NFL has no conclusive data supporting a connection between the tush push and an injury risk increase, as Lurie noted at the last league meetings in Florida. The Buffalo Bills are also a frequent user and favor a ban for safety, though, as head coach Sean McDermott said after the vote was tabled. The tush push, which has also been dubbed the “Brotherly Shove” in a catchy and clever twist on the Greek-to-English translation of Philadelphia, not only assigns a player to push the backside of the quarterback for extra power behind a tight nine-man line but sometimes involves a blocker on the end pivoting to try to pull the ball carrier past the marker.

Health is only half of this debate, however. Entertainment is the other.

While the Eagles have nearly perfected the play for fourth-and-1 or 1-yard line situations with well-chosen personnel and well-rehearsed precision, it looks more like rugby than football.

The Packers, who lost to the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs last season, have been among several teams voicing their distaste for the evolution of the traditional quarterback sneak into an all-out scrum. On the memo distributed by the NFL on Monday, the reasons cited for the proposal are player safety and pace of play.

“It was controversial when the forward pass came out,” Lurie said at the last league meetings. “I think aestheticism is very subjective. I’ve never judged whether a play looks OK.”

Regardless of the fate of the play, the fairness and fun of it are sure to be talking points throughout the season, particularly leading up to the Monday night game on Nov. 10 when the Packers host the Eagles.

Both of those teams have a good chance to be in contention in the loaded NFC for the playoffs, which could unfold a little differently if a proposal by the Detroit Lions passes this week. Like the tush push, a vote was tabled at the last gathering for further discussion on altering the seeding rules to base the order strictly on overall winning percentage rather than guaranteeing division winners the first four spots in each conference.

In this case, division winners would no longer get the automatic home game like the Los Angeles Rams did in January after finishing 10-7. Though wildfires forced the game to be moved to Arizona, the Vikings had to hit the road despite going 14-3, one game behind the Lions.

NFL owners will also consider from the competition committee several adjustments on the onside kick with the goal of increasing the recovery rate and decide whether to approve player participation in flag football in the 2028 Summer Olympics.

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Dave Campbell, The Associated Press