The NFL owners’ decision on Wednesday to officially legalize the “tush push” play was met with cheers from Philadelphia Eagles fans around the world. But for Deanna Slamans—a self-taught graphic designer and serial e-commerce entrepreneur based in Hershey, Pa.—the news carried special significance.
That’s because Slamans is currently first in line to trademark the phrase “tush push,” having filed her application in November 2023—just weeks before the Eagles submitted theirs through the NFL’s trademark division. Slamans also owns the domain TushPush.com, which showcases her collection of themed merchandise, including shirts, onesies, Christmas ornaments and other paraphernalia.
In May, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a suspension notice on the Eagles’ application, citing Slamans’ earlier filing as a “prior-filed potentially conflicting pending application.”
According to USPTO records, neither the Eagles, the NFL nor any other party have filed a formal opposition to Slamans’ trademark bid. She now has six months to either show proof of commercial use or request an extension.
“I didn’t file it to sell it,” Slamans told Sportico in a phone interview, adding that she tried reaching out to the Eagles early in the process but never received a response. The team did not respond to a request for comment sent to an Eagles spokesperson.
In March, she submitted evidence to the USPTO, including a T-shirt and branded packaging featuring the a “Tush Push” logo under the brand name Tush Push Tees.
Earlier this month, Slamans filed a formal opposition to a separate “Tush Push” trademark application submitted by PlayMonster Group, a Wisconsin-based toy and game company seeking to register the phrase for use in connection with parlor, board and party games. (A representative for the company did not respond to an email seeking comment.)
Slamans says initially planned to design T-shirts featuring the phrase “Brotherly Shove,” but abandoned the idea after learning the Eagles already owned the trademark. A serial entrepreneur, Slamans has tried her hand at a variety of pursuits, from motivational speaking to running an “earth-conscious” diaper brand called Naturally Nature—her main gig these days.
For over a decade, Slamans and her husband, Andy, have run Amazing Freedom Brands, an online reselling business, claiming revenue sales of $75 million on Amazon and Shopify since 2015. In 2023 interviews with Business Insider and SheOwnsit.com, Slamans touted her company having sold $10 million the previous year, though she declined to say what the profit margins were. (The company’s website is currently offline.)
Andy Slamans has been a frequent guest on YouTube channels and DIY entrepreneurial podcasts, where he shares his expertise in Amazon arbitrage strategies. Separately, in 2016, he gained global viral fame with a short, comedic video showing him “reclaiming the armrest” from a fellow airline passenger—a clip he later said earned him $20,000.
“We definitely have an online presence,” Deanna Slamans said, “and e-commerce is our second language.”
However, not all the attention surrounding the Slamans has been welcome.
From 1999 to 2014, the couple served as fulltime “houseparents” at the Milton Hershey School—a private, needs-based boarding school funded by a multibillion-dollar endowment established by the chocolate magnate. Deanna, who attended the school as a child, also later served as a curriculum director for a brief period.
In 2016, the school faced a federal lawsuit filed by a former student who claimed he had been subjected to “gay-conversion therapy” efforts by the Slamans, his houseparents, after he was discovered watching gay pornography.
The case, which received national media coverage, included claims that the Slamans prayed with the student and showed him a video associated with conversion therapy. In court testimony, the student acknowledged the Slamans never explicitly told him he should be straight, but said he interpreted their actions as an attempt to “cur[e him] of being gay.”
The school decried the ex-student’s claims as “100% false,” and Deanna Slamans, in a public statement through the school, said she was “offended and heartbroken.” The lawsuit was eventually dismissed on summary judgment, with the judge saying the former student had “failed to provide any evidence of record in support of his conclusions.”
Salman said her departure from the school in 2017 was neither due to being asked to leave nor related to any litigation. A Milton Hershey spokesperson did not respond to an email requesting comment.
After leaving the school, Slamans turned her attention to her e-commerce ventures and to Naturally Nature, a cloth diaper company she had founded a few years earlier. Then, when the pandemic hit in March 2020, she launched several Etsy shops, selling humorous T-shirts—including designs inspired by her favorite football team.
“Being an Eagles fan, there are a lot of funny, punny shirts are out there that Eagles fans really like,” she said.
Slamans has mixed feelings about the actual term, “tush push.” On one hand, she says, “It rolls off the tongue,” but she also admits, “it kind of has a weird vibe to it.”
Navigating the trademark process without legal counsel, Slamans admits she’s learned largely through trial and error—acknowledging some early “missteps.” She insists she’s proceeding with humility and caution, particularly mindful not to upset the Eagles.
“I do hope I don’t create a grey area or blur lines where people think this is an NFL-sanctioned product,” Slamans said. “I am not really reaching out to the Eagles [asking] for anything and am not being showy [about the trademark], just to make sure I don’t create anything that is difficult for them.”
To be sure, the team has demonstrated a strong willingness to defend its intellectual property in court. Since 2019, the Eagles have filed seven trademark oppositions with the USPTO, challenging various applications. In the lead-up to the most recent Super Bowl, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the organization was aggressively warning small businesses and local artists against creating and selling products that featured the team’s branding.
On Thursday, aiming to capitalize on this week’s surge of attention surrounding the “tush push,” the team launched a new “Push On” T-shirt priced at $34.99.
By comparison, Slamans’ “tush push” T-shirts currently retail for $25, while her branded boxer briefs sell for $35. She acknowledges the underwear has gotten some bad product reviews: “Yeah, they probably aren’t the best. It’s a gag gift.”
Meanwhile, her main focus remains her diaper brand, which she estimates will bring in $1 million in revenue this year.
Even if she ultimately secures the “tush push” trademark, Slamans doesn’t see this product line as a major revenue driver.
“This,” she said, “is just me having fun.”