George McCaskey thinks the "Tush Push" is a pain in the butt.
The Chicago Bears principal owner and chairman made that clear when he spoke with reporters at the annual NFL owners meetings on Wednesday, his first public comments since the passing of his mother, Virginia Halas McCaskey. The Bears chairman discussed a number of topics, including the controversial play made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles.
NFL owners voted this week on whether to ban the play or allow teams to continue to run it for the 2025 season. The decision was tabled, however, due to a 16-16 split vote by the owners. McCaskey revealed the Bears were one of the teams that voted to ban the play, which was initially proposed by the Green Bay Packers. When asked why the Bears voted to ban the play, McCaskey had a simple answer. "Health and safety," McCaskey said. "I know they say that we don't have sufficient injury data on it, but to us, it appears to be an inherently unsafe play."
George McCaskey voted to ban the “Tush Push”
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) April 2, 2025
“To us it appears to be an inherently unsafe play” pic.twitter.com/tWpUy1ZI1x
McCaskey went on to say he attended the NFL's health and safety committee with Drs. Allen Sills and John York in March, who expressed concerns about the safety of players involved in the "tush push."
The play has been a hot-button item over the last couple of years ever since the Eagles implemented it with quarterback Jalen Hurts. Philadelphia has run the play with a very high percentage of success in short yardage situations, including this past postseason on their way towards winning Super Bowl LIX. McCaskey and 15 other owners, however, believe the play is doing more harm than good and wish to see it out of the game.
Because of the split vote, the play will be discussed again during the Spring League Meeting in May.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Why Bears’ George McCaskey voted to ban the ‘Tush Push’
