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NFL to penalize 'nose wipe' celebration

Wesley Hitt / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The NFL is adding the "nose wipe" celebration to its list of actions that will result in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, the league informed teams this week, per ESPN's Benjamin Solak.

The league also included throat slashes and simulating firing or brandishing a gun as examples of offensive actions that officials could flag.

The "nose wipe" has connections to gang culture.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who previously used the celebration often, reacted to the change.

"Smh, I have plenty in mind," Lamb wrote on X.

The new penalty is one of the first changes adopted for the 2025 campaign. NFL owners will vote on other potential rules impacting kickoffs, playoff seeding, and more at the annual meeting at the end of March.

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