Eagles

Refs Explain Frankie Luvu Tush Push Ridiculousness from NFC Championship Game

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Jan 27th, 2025 · 4:29 PM EST

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The goofiest sequence from Sunday’s win over the Commanders was a goal line series in which Washington’s Frankie Luvu jumped over the pile a couple of times en route to the refs issuing a warning:

When LB Frankie Luvu tried to disrupt the @Eagles tush push in the NFC Championship, officials warned the @Commanders that they may invoke the rarely used, but long-standing, @NFL Rule 12.3.2 on “Palpably Unfair Acts.”

Learn more bout the rule: https://t.co/cxM5ZPtutG pic.twitter.com/KHS4ilHh1f

— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) January 27, 2025

PHLY’s Zach Berman serves as a pool reporter after Eagles games, so he’s the guy who speaks to the refs.

Here’s his conversation with Shawn Hochuli:

Question: The sequence at the goal line with the quarterback sneaks, how was it determined that they were unfair acts by Frankie Luvu?

Hochuli: “Simply put, a team can’t commit multiple fouls in an effort to prevent the score. So, No. 4 jumped the ball a couple of times, that was when the warning came in. Again, if it’s meant to prevent a score, we can essentially award the score.”

Question: The Eagles had used hard counts before. Is that taken into consideration?

Hochuli: “So in terms of a hard count, there’s a play clock that prevents them from doing that too many times. With the defense, since we deem it as an effort to prevent the score – a repeated act – that’s where the potential for awarding the score comes in.”

It seems like enforcement of this rule can be arbitrary in some cases, but this was clear. Multiple encroachments at the goal line. You can’t hide behind the reasoning of falling for a hard count when you do it over and over again. Otherwise we’d be sitting there all day long with infinite neutral zone infractions while the Commanders try to jump the count. This prevents us from getting stuck in a loop, and is written under the “unsportsmanlike conduct” section of rule 12, which governs player conduct:

Article 2. Fouls To Prevent Score

The defense shall not commit successive or repeated fouls to prevent a score.

Penalty: For successive or repeated fouls to prevent a score: If the violation is repeated after a warning, the score involved is awarded to the offensive team.

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Article 4. Palpably Unfair Act

A player or substitute shall not interfere with play by any act which is palpably unfair.

Penalty: For a palpably unfair act: Offender may be disqualified. The Referee, after consulting the officiating crew, enforces any such distance penalty as they consider equitable and irrespective of any other specified code penalty. The Referee may award a score. See 19-1-3.