Philadelphia, PA – May 28, 2025
It was a quiet Wednesday in Orlando—until a legend walked into the room.
As NFL owners gathered behind closed doors to deliberate on the fate of the league’s most controversial play, the “tush push,” few expected to see former Eagles center Jason Kelce standing at the podium. But there he was, not in pads, not in uniform, but in defense of the very maneuver he helped turn into a weapon of war for Philadelphia’s offense.
The Eagles had spent weeks lobbying to preserve the quarterback sneak variation that powered Jalen Hurts and the offense through short-yardage situations with brute force and precision. But in a moment that could have tipped the scale, the front office pulled its final lever: bringing in the man most synonymous with the play.
"I was really just there to offer my perspective on that stuff not being true, and the fact that I think it's a relatively safe play," Kelce said on his New Heights podcast, referencing rumors that the play was a factor in his retirement. He made clear: that narrative was false, and the “tush push” isn’t the injury trap some detractors claim it to be.
Kelce joined Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie in opening remarks before answering questions from owners and committee members. While the full transcript of the meeting remains private, Kelce offered rare insight into the atmosphere. “I couldn’t help but think, ‘I can’t believe I’m in this room right now,’” he shared. “There’s hundreds of billions of dollars of wealth sitting here.”
The final vote—22 to 10 in favor of keeping the play—fell short of the 24 votes needed to ban it. Kelce acknowledged he might not have changed anyone’s mind but admired the sincerity with which owners approached the matter. “I took away from this meeting [that] all of these owners have good intentions,” he reflected.
There were no tears, no dramatic confrontations—just one of the NFL’s most respected voices standing up for a play that has come to define Philadelphia grit. His appearance was brief, but the symbolism wasn’t lost on anyone in the room. Travis Kelce summed it up best: if there was ever a person to defend the play, it had to be Jason.
The "tush push" lives on, not just as a tactic, but as a symbol. And thanks to Jason Kelce, so does the pride that comes with it.
