Most NFL defenders want the Philadelphia Eagles' “tush push” play banned, but Frankie Luvu is especially against it. Months after creating one of the most comedic moments of the 2024 season in response to the play, the Washington Commanders linebacker does not believe it belongs in football.

Luvu, who prematurely leaped over the pile attempting to defend the play three consecutive times in the 2024 NFC Championship Game, called the “tush push” a “cheapo play.” The 2024 All-Pro said the play would be fair if both sides knew when the ball would be snapped, but does not believe permitting hard counts makes it an even battle.

“I think they should ban it, but I know the argument is going to be, ‘Hey, you guys have to stop it,'” Luvu said to Kyle Brandt on NFL Network's ‘Good Morning Football.' “It's kind of like a cheapo play, man. It's pretty much a scrum in rugby. That's how I look at it. We gotta have a scrum too on the other side. The scrum is we have a cadence where we all go at once. It's not like you hard count where now you're getting us, or myself, jumping over the pile thinking they about to snap the ball.”

The 32 league owners are expected to vote on whether the “tush push” should be banned shortly. The league began reviewing a potential ban during the 2024 offseason, before the issue resurfaced when the Green Bay Packers pushed for it to be banned earlier in February.

Commanders LB Frankie Luvu's “tush push” debacle

Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu (4) smiles after a play in the first half against the Detroit Lions in the NFC divisional round at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.
Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As an NFC East linebacker, Luvu has to see the “tush push” as much as any player in the league. The Commanders' plan to defend the notoriously successful play was to have him leap over the center, but Luvu could never get the proper timing down. Once the Eagles recognized the tactic, Jalen Hurts practically taunted him with numerous hard counts, prompting the referee to announce that another offside penalty would result in a touchdown.

As play-by-play commentator Kevin Burkhardt and his on-air analyst Tom Brady noted, the play is especially difficult to prevent since defenses cannot practice against it. The high injury risk for players on both sides of the ball does not allow teams to truly simulate the play in training.

If the “tush push” is not banned, Washington will have a lot of time to draw up another plan. The Commanders and Eagles do not face each other until Week 16. They play each other twice in the final three weeks of the regular season.