Despite tush push debate, no guarantee for new vote, sources say - ESPN

Despite the anger about another year of the tush push and the debate it already has sparked this season, the controversial play might not be going anywhere.

League sources told ESPN that there are no assurances that the tush push issue will be brought up for conversation or a vote by the NFL this offseason.

One source told ESPN that, after the hotly contested conversation the play raised last offseason and the emotions it aroused, he believes the entire issue needs to be tabled for a year before it could be raised again.

There also is the practicality of another attempt to ban the play. The author of the proposal to ban the tush push this past offseason was Green Bay Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy.

But Murphy retired in July, once he reached the organization's mandatory retirement age of 70. In order to get the tush bush banned, there would need to be a new author for the proposal, not to mention more support and votes.

The proposal to ban the tush push got only 22 votes last spring when it needed 24.

A new proposal to ban the play would need a new author, more support, and more votes — and one source told ESPN that he didn't know whether that could or would happen, adding that there's been no movement to make it happen, at least this early in the year.

Criticism of the play could eventually prompt a team to draft a new tush push ban proposal later this season, but that is not the case as the NFL enters its third Sunday of the season. And regardless of whether the league votes on a new proposal, the tush push is here to stay this season.

The tush push has come under renewed scrutiny after the Philadelphia Eagles used the play six times in their victory last Sunday over the Kansas City Chiefs. The NFL instructed