NFL owners will vote on the Packers’ tush push ban this week. Local guy Sean McDermott, who sits on the competition committee, continued with his hypocrisy Monday morning:
#Bills HC Sean McDermott says being “proactive” on banning the tush push to prevent injuries, even if the data is not there now, is the best way to proceed: “We’re going to always act in a way that’s best for the health and safety of the players.” pic.twitter.com/sHCPRIsKh8
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 31, 2025
Sean McDermott is still anti-Tush Push
Says he still has injury concern even though the data suggests there is no injury risk pic.twitter.com/oi0he4Ny21
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) March 31, 2025
He’s a hypocrite because his team ran the play the second-most times in the NFL, behind only the Eagles. He spoke in February about the injury risk of the push, calling it “potentially contrary to the health and safety of the players.” Then the league came out a few days later saying there was no data supporting that thought.
The lines about “added force” and “posture” make little sense. Sure, we’ve got Jordan Mailata speaking off the cuff about how much he hates the push, assumedly because he ends up in a pile of bodies. But you’re also in a pile of bodies on a regular QB sneak and most goal line running plays targeting the A or B gaps. What’s more is that the “added force” isn’t any worse than two guys clobbering each other in the open field. There’s little momentum on the shove, which is a short-yardage leverage play. How does McDermott feel about one of his receivers being decleated by a safety 20 yards down the field?
What he’s saying is basically, “well it isn’t a risk now, but it could be a risk in the future,” and therefore that justifies a ban. It’s a very weak argument. If we took this approach with other facets of the game, then there would be no football. It’s a contact sport with inherent violence, played by the world’s best athletes. So if you were going to “act in a way that’s best for the health and safety of the players” you would tell them to stop playing football. Because unless you’re Jake Elliott or Braden Mann, you’re risking injury every time you step on the field.