The movement to ban the tush push almost succeeded but the short-yardage play will live on for at least another season as earlier Wednesday NFL owners opted to keep it legal in an incredibly tight vote. The measure to eradicate it from the goal-line and yard-to-gain situations needed 24 votes but could only muster 22. One of the more intriguing storylines of this offseason now has a resolution and there's nothing to do now but celebrate a victory for common sense or lament the sneak's staying power.

Votes were cast after Jason Kelce joined a group defending the practice and Colin Cowherd believes that the former center's words may have provided a decisive swing.

"Jason Kelce is powerful, he is respected," Cowherd said. "He made a plea to keep it and I think it probably flipped one or two owners. I think Jason Kelce tush pushed it into not being banned."

Anything is possible and we'll have to wait for investigative pieces into all that went into the play surviving its moment on the chopping block. Kelce is on a rocket ship as a media member and parlayed his popularity into a rare late-night talk show for ESPN. Perhaps some voters were so enamored with his stardom and changed their position in the moment. Or perhaps this was always the way the vote was going to shake out.

More NFL on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Colin Cowherd Credits Jason Kelce for Swaying NFL's Tush Push Vote.

Test hyperlink for boilerplate