When it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles’ infamous ‘tush push,’ some have more to say than others.

The Eagles have made a living on that signature play that comes with many nicknames. In 2024, they rode that controversy all the way to a Super Bowl victory. That was enough to ramp up the conversation.

That became especially true when Shawn Hochuli channeled his inner annoyed principal and told the Washington Commanders he could award the Eagles a score in the NFC championship game.

So like kids on the playground at recess, some NFL teams have learned that life isn’t fair and they’re ready to do something about it.

Some have tried and almost all have failed to replicate the success that was pioneered by Jalen Hurts, Jason Kelce and Nick Sirianni. The Green Bay Packers chose to present the case to ban the controversial play, and NFL owners are set to vote on its fate this week.

The question is: Should it be banned? Does the ‘tush push’ rise to the level of annoyance like Silly Bandz or fidget spinners? Is it as dangerous as old-fashioned dodgeball or a book that found itself caught up in a heated political debate?

USA TODAY Sports’ NFL experts present their cases on the ‘Brotherly Shove’ and whether or not the play should be outlawed:

Nate Davis

I could be swayed to vote against the push play – but in the future, when it reaches the point of essentially being an automatic conversion league-wide, similar to what extra points became when they were 20-yard kicks. But now? Putting a stop to it in the moment feels something like a vendetta against the Super Bowl champion Eagles, who use it far more frequently – and effectively – than any other team.

After all, the NFL is only a copycat league when you can copy the cat – but the Eagles have tush-pushed like no other. And I’ve been around them more than enough to know how they feel.

Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson told me it’s basically a modified quarterback sneak, so legislating it out of the game is problematic – though I might concede having QB Jalen Hurts rammed from behind by TE Dallas Goedert and others could be the component of the play most logically disallowed.

Left tackle Jordan Mailata told me after last season’s NFC championship game rout of the Washington Commanders, who crumbled against the tush push – I see you, Frankie Luvu – that the strategy encapsulated Philly winning in the “mental warfare” department.

As for the notion it’s dangerous – despite the utter lack of data to support that theorem – come on. You really going to contend the tush push is more fraught with bodily risk than RB Saquon Barkley barreling toward a goal line packed with bodies at full speed – for him or defenders?

You want my vote to kill the tush push? Fine. Just bring me a better case than I’ve seen to date. Until then? Stop the Eagles. Or successfully mimic them.

Vote: Keep it!

Tyler Dragon

It seems that most of the NFL’s rules cater toward the offense and handicap the defense, so it’s kind of refreshing to see the NFL consider a rule that helps the defense. But the tush push isn’t a play the NFL should outlaw.

According to ESPN, the Eagles have a success rate of 86% since they started doing the tush push in 2022. The NFL average is 76%. While the success rate is high in short-yardage situations, the play isn’t unstoppable.

I’m all for the NFL becoming a bit more physical on both sides of football (and still remaining as safe as possible). There isn’t evidence to suggest that the tush push is a dangerous play. But it’s a physical play in an NFL game that’s becoming less physical. 

Vote: Keep it!

Tom Viera

The Eagles are one of 32 teams with a competitive advantage on this play. In 2024, they successfully executed 28 out of 34 ‘tush push’ attempts, according to Next Gen Stats. Other teams prepare for the play, but they still can’t stop it.

That’s bad for entertainment value, therefore it’s bad for business. Imagine in a few years’ time if all 32 teams learned to run the ‘tush push’ successfully; How’s that entertaining?

Dust off the traditional QB sneak perfected by Tom Brady, which never garnered the same level of ire and detest as the ‘tush push.’ Should the play be banned, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles are likely to navigate this situation better than many expect.

Vote: Ban it!

Jack McKessy

The Green Bay Packers’ proposal to ban the play reads like a tattletale child on the playground that didn’t get included in the latest game of tag.

“Well if I can’t have fun, then no one should.”

All 32 teams could run the same exact play if they so choose. There’s no “secret” or “hidden method,” but the other 31 teams still don’t try it.

With that being the case, Occam’s razor would say the Eagles simply run a quarterback sneak play better than every other team, and every other team can’t run their own “tush push” effectively. It’s a copycat league, so why hasn’t this play been effectively copied yet in the three years since it’s been introduced?

That’s not to mention the poor wording of the current proposal, which leaves plenty of room for loopholes and liberal interpretations. And if the rule change does pass, the Eagles and other teams will simply find those loopholes or come up with other ways to run effective plays in short yardage situations.

Banning a play that only one out of 32 teams has used effectively and consistently for three years is like the teacher listening to that aforementioned tattletale child and banning the game of tag at recess. The rest of the kids are just going to find other ways to have fun.

Vote: Keep it!

Ayrton Ostly

Winning consistently in the NFL is tough. There are only so many ways to find small margins that make the difference on a weekly basis and teams shouldn’t be punished for finding advantages with their personnel.

The Eagles have one of the best offensive lines in the league and a powerful runner at quarterback. Getting the upper hand in leverage in the trenches is no new concept. Philadelphia’s just better at it than other teams due to their unique talent on the roster.

Don’t get mad and complain to the teacher (in this case, the NFL) to get the one kid banned from playing a game a certain way just because you can’t exactly replicate it or beat them. Figure out how to win. Other NFL teams need to catch up in doing it themselves and/or invest in better ways to combat it defensively.

Vote: Keep it!

Nick Brinkerhoff

Death, taxes and ‘tush push’ first downs can’t be the only things guaranteed in life.

Yes, other teams have failed, but what if they don’t going forward? Do we want to live in a world where players get their tushes pushed all game long? Think of the children – and the game that’ll be left behind.

As it’s said, one person has a tendency of ruining it for the rest. In this case, that’s the Eagles. Inadvertent or not, they pushed the envelope too far, making their play too big of a talking point. It’s a lot like that local restaurant that gets noticed by a big celebrity; You’re happy for their bottom line and the success that follows, but annoyed that the 20 minute wait is now 40 and items on the menu are sold out.

Sometimes there is too much of a good thing and the Eagles may learn that the hard way. The ‘tush push’ must go.

Vote: Ban it!

Joe Rivera

Much like D.J. Khaled, the Eagles are suffering from success.

Is it fair to penalize Philadelphia for being too good at one play? Probably not. However, unlike the NFL’s oftentimes reactionary and late-to-the-party nature on rule changes, it’s better for the league to get out in front of this than wait until the copycats crack the code on what makes the ‘tush push’ darn near automatic.

Sure, not all 31 other squads have a world-class offensive line and a quarterback who can squat Volkswagens, and at least a small fraction won’t for a long time, if ever.

But, as a fan, do you want to wait until that point in which those other teams are spending the majority of their Sundays pushing their own quarterbacks around more than the opposing team’s? Do you want to see the drama and suspense sucked out of critical short-yardage situations? That doesn’t sound like an entertaining product to watch.

No one has been able to replicate the Eagles’ success on the ‘tush push.’ That doesn’t mean the league never will. I’d rather not wait to find out what that looks like on NFL Sundays.

Vote: Ban it!

Final tally

Keep it: Four votesBan it: Three votes

The defending champion Florida Panthers are in the Eastern Conference finals for the third season in a row and are looking to make a third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Dallas Stars are making their third consecutive appearance in the Western Conference finals, but they have come up short the last two seasons.

The Panthers will play the Carolina Hurricanes in a rematch from 2023, which Florida won in a sweep. The Stars will play the Edmonton Oilers, who beat them in six games last season.

Which two teams will reach the Stanley Cup Final? USA TODAY Sports weighs in with predictions for the Hurricanes-Panthers and Stars-Oilers series:

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers

Season series: 2-1 Panthers. Total goals: 13-6 Panthers.

Jason Anderson: Hurricanes in 7. Carolina made light work of the Washington Capitals, and that may be the difference in a series that feels sure to be a marathon. Andrei Svechnikov’s eight postseason goals are second only to Dallas’ Mikko Rantanen (nine), but goalie Frederik Andersen’s .937 save percentage might be the more important stat. The defending champs won’t go down easily, but the Canes have delivered on all fronts through two rounds.

Mike Brehm: Panthers in 6. The Hurricanes have lost 12 consecutive games in the conference final. They will end that streak, but it will be hard for them for them to knock off the defending champions. Carolina’s Frederik Andersen is playing great, but Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky has given up only four goals in his last four games after a rough start to the second round. The Panthers have plenty of scoring depth, led by trade deadline acquisition Brad Marchand, who’s playing on the third line.

Jace Evans: Hurricanes in 7. The Hurricanes have generated very little discourse these playoffs, outside of discussions about whether the team is or isn’t ‘boring.’ What they are is great, ripping through the Devils and Capitals in five games apiece with a relentless offense that throws an obscene number of shots toward the cage. If shots get through on the other end, they’ve often hit Frederik Andersen — the best goalie in these playoffs by far (1.36 GAA, .937 save percentage).

Dallas Stars vs. Edmonton Oilers

Season series: 2-1 Stars. Total goals: 12-9 Stars

Jason Anderson: Stars in 6. Both teams have players lighting it up on the offensive end in the postseason. Mikko Rantanen has 19 points for Dallas, while Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have combined for 25 assists. It’s at the other end where each team has had issues, with Edmonton’s goalies combining for a .886 save percentage. The Stars have given up a whopping 408 shots in the playoffs, but Jake Oettinger has been up to the challenge, leading the league in some key underlying metrics for goaltenders. Expect plenty of goals in this series, but ultimately Dallas moves on.

Mike Brehm: Stars in 7. The Oilers are deeper than they were last season, but so are the Stars, with the additions of forwards Mikko Rantanen and Mikael Granlund. Defenseman Thomas Harley took a big jump when Miro Heiskanen was hurt, and now Heiskanen is back. This series will go the distance because Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm will return at some point. The Stars get the edge in the series finale because they’re at home, and coach Peter DeBoer is 9-0 in Game 7.

Jace Evans: Oilers in 6. Seeking to erase last season’s heartbreak, Edmonton has some team of destiny vibes. They looked completely on the ropes against the Kings in the first round only to rally in wild fashion and win six consecutive games after switching to Calvin Pickard in net. After Pickard was injured, Stuart Skinner got his job back and responded with two consecutive shutouts to oust the Golden Knights. You need some magic to win the Stanley Cup. It certainly feels like the Oilers have it. (And having Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl also helps.)

Hilary Knight laughed when her brother first raised the idea of sticking around through the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

“Yeah, right,” Knight she said, recalling her reaction. “There’s no way.”

She was already north of 30 then — she turned 33 five months after the Beijing Games in 2022 — and had her hands full trying to get the PWHL off the ground. The idea of signing up for another four years of the grind seemed like a lot.

And yet, here she is preparing for Milan. It will be her fifth, and she’s announcing now, final Olympics.

“It’s time,” Knight told USA TODAY Sports. “I have grown up in this program and it’s just given me so much. I’m at peace. I just have this feeling that it’s time. And I’m grateful that — hopefully I can stay healthy and everything — I can go out when I’d like to be done. That is such a privilege that only a handful of competitors get.”

Knight, who turns 36 in July, is still one of the very best players in the world. At last month’s world championships, where the U.S. women beat archrival Canada for the title (Knight’s 10th, for those counting), she led the Americans with nine points. Already the career leader in points and goals at the world championships, she added the career assists record during the tournament, too.

Knight also was the PWHL’s points leader this season with 29, and her 15 goals for the Boston Fleet were second most in the league.

Impressive as Knight’s resume as a player is — in addition to the 10 world titles, she’s an Olympic champion (2018) and three-time silver medalist (2010, 2014 and 2022) — it is what she’s done off the ice that will be her greatest legacy.

The sport looks nothing like it did when Knight began playing. Heck, it barely resembles what it looked like five years ago.

The U.S. women’s team now receives similar benefits and treatment from USA Hockey as the men’s team because Knight and her teammates threatened to boycott the world championships in 2017. USA Hockey also agreed to improve its developmental program, which means little girls now have their own teams to play on.

The PWHL exists because Knight and the game’s other top players refused to accept the substandard professional leagues that existed previously in Canada and the United States. They staged their own “Dream Gap” tour in 2021 to spotlight the lack of professional opportunities for women and raise interest for a new league.

“You realized how much responsibility we just chewed off,” Knight said. “You’re just like, `Wow, I’m responsible for making sure this thing exists,’ and then to see it through and make sure that we can actually put the pieces together to find somebody who’s going to invest long-term in us.

“Sometimes you felt really defeated because you’re like, `I believe in this thing. I know what we’re capable of,’ but it’s convincing other people to see it, too, and have the same vision,” she said. “And fortunately, we were able to find that.”

In 2022, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, of which Knight was a founding board member, announced a deal with Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter and Billie Jean King for a new league.

The PWHL began play last year in six cities, and has already surpassed the 2 million mark in total attendance. It’s been so successful that two expansion teams will be added next season.

“I understood what the sport gave me and I wanted to give that to other people. I wanted other people to have the same opportunities that I had,” Knight said. “Obviously there’s tons of work that always needs to be done, but I think we now have a career path. Investments are now starting to happen more at the grassroots level. Girls are being invested in.

“Not only me, but all of us have changed that, and so I feel very fulfilled from that standpoint and hoping that those barriers are lesser and lesser as we move forward.”

Reflecting on her legacy is not high on Knight’s list of favorite things to do. Quite honestly, it’s nowhere on that list. That’s partly why she’s announcing now that these will be her last Games, in hopes it will no longer be a story in Milan. Or at least not a focal point.

Because Knight has never played hockey to shine up her legacy. Even all those titles, they have meaning because they’re a reflection of the work it took to get them and the people who played alongside her.

It’s those things that Knight will miss.

“There’s something to be said about the grind and the appreciation for putting the most vulnerable part of yourself on the line and working together as a group and navigating the highs and lows before a tournament and in a tournament,” she said. “Those are the memories that will, I think, pop up for me.”

That and the pranks.

Anyone who has ever been part of a team knows the shenanigans that go on when you spend that much time together. The prank calls to family members back in the States. The rubber bands that can turn bidet handles into super soakers. The cups of water left inside helmets when they’re sitting on a shelf.

“Just adding little moments of lightness because, at the end of the day, representing your country on a world stage is kind of stressful!” Knight said.

Knight still plans to play in the PWHL after Milan, but she knows that part of her career will soon end, too. She’s enjoyed the broadcasting work she’s done for ESPN and could see herself doing more of that.

She’d also like to put together a group of investors and buy an NHL team someday. (A PWHL team, too, but it’s still a single-owner league.)

“There’s just so much to be done and so many opportunities in the women’s space that are really exciting,” Knight said.

In part because of her and what she’s achieved, on and off the ice.

For now, though, there’s one more Olympics. One more time to represent Team USA. One more chance to win a title for her country.

“It took me a while, but I think I’m very much so at peace with it,” Knight said. “I’ve had an incredible career at the Olympic stage. And (in Milan) I will have the same mission and the same purpose, and that’s to win an Olympic gold.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

Tennessee is home to a rare quarterback competition inside the SEC. Most starting jobs are settled.
Door cracked in Alabama, but Ty Simpson leads pack.
Is Gunnar Stockton the answer in Georgia? Spring game points to him leading the battle.

Steve Sarkisian cleared up the quarterback drama at Texas in February when he announced Arch Manning as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback. Just kidding — there was no drama at Texas. Sarkisian’s anointment of Arch equated to saying it’s hot in Texas in July.

Thanks, we know.

Not everyone’s a Manning, but Texas’ quarterback situation is more the rule than the exception this offseason. Most SEC teams feature an obvious starter.

Here’s an assessment of the quarterback situation at each SEC school:

We know the starting quarterback

Some coaches won’t announce their quarterback until much closer to the season opener, but I’m confident in pegging each of these as their team’s starter:

Auburn (Jackson Arnold)

Coach Hugh Freeze declared Arnold, the Oklahoma transfer, as “the No. 1.’ If Arnold struggles like he did with the Sooners, Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels provides another option with starting experience.

Kentucky (Zach Calzada)

Way back in 2021, Calzada started for Texas A&M in an upset of Alabama. Now, he’s entering his seventh season with his fourth team. He’s fresh off an appearance in the FCS playoffs with Incarnate Word.

Arkansas (Taylen Green)

Green returns as the starter following an up-and-down first season in Fayetteville after he transferred from Boise State. A lack of proven playmakers around Green projects as a bigger issue.

Florida (DJ Lagway)

The Gators won four straight games to finish last season while Lagway started as a true freshman. He’s a top-tier SEC quarterback.

Texas (Arch Manning)

If Manning lives up to the hype, the Longhorns should have the juice to contend for a national championship.

BEST OF BEST: Our ranking of college football’s top 25 coaches

Oklahoma (John Mateer)

The Sooners needed solutions on offense. Insert Mateer, the Washington State transfer who rushed for 826 yards last season.

LSU (Garrett Nussmeier)

Nussmeier is the SEC’s only returning quarterback who passed for more than 4,000 yards last season.

Vanderbilt (Diego Pavia)

Pavia owns two wins against Auburn and one against Alabama. He has made Vanderbilt relevant. That’s no easy feat.

Missouri (Beau Pribula)

Pribula teased some dual-threat talents in two seasons as Penn State’s backup. He’s a nice portal pickup for Missouri.

Texas A&M (Marcel Reed)

Reed supplanted Conner Weigman as the Aggies’ starter last season, and Weigman’s offseason transfer to Houston means there’s no lingering competition.

South Carolina (LaNorris Sellers)

Sellers became one of the SEC’s top breakout players last season. Now, he’s a proven commodity.

Mississippi State (Blake Shapen)

A shoulder injury sidelined Shapen after four games last season. The good news for Mississippi State is that he’s back, and its offense looked better last year with him on the field.

Mississippi (Austin Simmons)

Coach Lane Kiffin described Simmons as having “a very high ceiling.” Simmons showed a glimpse of that ceiling in a relief appearance against Georgia last season.

Door remains cracked in quarterback competition

Alabama (Ty Simpson)

Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said after the spring game that Simpson would start if Alabama’s season started then. Five-star freshman Keelon Russell might be the quarterback of the future. As for the present, Simpson enjoys the edge after three years as an Alabama backup.

Georgia (Gunner Stockton)

Stockton retains the inside track for the job after starting Georgia’s playoff game against Notre Dame. He showed his lead in the competition over Ryan Puglisi in Georgia’s spring game.

Door fully open in quarterback competition

Tennessee (Joey Aguilar or …)

The Vols will have a new starting quarterback after Nico Iamaleava transferred to UCLA in April. Former Appalachian State starter Joey Aguilar will headline a competition that includes Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre.

Merklinger was Tennessee’s third-stringer last season. MacIntyre is a true freshman, making him the long shot. Aguilar’s starting experience might give him a slight edge. He must quickly learn Josh Heupel’s offense after transferring this spring. Aguilar struggled with his completion rate and interceptions at App State, but he has mobility and moxie.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

After Chicago Sky star Angel Reese claimed that a fan made racially insensitive comments to her during the team’s season-opening game against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the WNBA launched a formal investigation.

It appears the Fever are backing the league’s actions.

In a statement from the WNBA, the league said, ‘The WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate and discrimination in all forms — they have no place in our league or in society.  We are aware of the allegations and are looking into the matter.’

Fever star Caitlin Clark expressed similar dismay for the alleged racist acts aimed at Reese. Following team practice on Monday, Clark said ‘There’s no place for that in our game. There’s no place for that in society.’

She continued, ‘We want every person that comes into our arena, whether player, whether fan, to have a great experience. I appreciate the league doing that. I appreciate the Fever organization has been at the forefront of that since Day 1, and what they’re doing. With the investigation, we’ll leave that up to them to find anything, and take the proper action if so.’

Clark’s sentiment has been mirrored by Fever teammate Brianna Turner. On Monday, Turner, who also serves as the WNBA players’ union treasurer, said she supports the league opening an investigation into Reese’s claims.

‘One person is too many,’ Turner said. ‘If one person said something, I think it’s worth an investigation. If they find nothing, they find nothing. But if someone thinks they heard something or said something, I think it’s warranted to investigate.’

Does this investigation have to do with the scrum between Reese and Clark?

During the third quarter of Indiana’s 93-58 win over Chicago, Reese and Clark got into a brief fight after Clark committed a flagrant 1 foul on Reese, who was attempting to make a rebound. According to IndyStar, the investigation has nothing to do with that foul.

Did Clark hear any racist comments?

Clark claims she did not hear anything, but also noted that she couldn’t really hear anything with how crowded the arena was.

‘It’s super loud in here, and though I didn’t hear anything, I think that’s why they’re doing the investigation,’ said Clark. ‘That doesn’t mean nothing happened, so I’ll just trust the league’s investigation, and I’m sure they’ll do the right thing.’