NFL aiming to improve sportsmanship, reduce taunting in 2025

NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent says the league will head into the 2025 season looking to emphasize improving sportsmanship.

"Look, we gotta be responsible adults," Vincent said Tuesday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. "We're not trying to take away the spontaneous moments. But the shooting and the killing and the sexual acts - you're a professional. You did that in high school and peewee ball."

Vincent added that "violent gestures" are up 133%, while "sexual taunting" has increased 52% league-wide. Coaches, general managers, and owners discussed sportsmanship at the league's annual meetings Tuesday.

"It just has no place in the game," Vincent said, per Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams. "We have clear video examples we'll share with the players and about just what it means to be a professional at all times."

The NFL reportedly informed teams last week that it added the "nose wipe" celebration made famous by Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb to its list of actions that will result in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The league also added specific language to the rulebook concerning gestures like throat slashes and simulating firing or brandishing a gun.

"(The 'nose wipe') has gang connotations; it's disrespectful," Vincent said. "It's just where we are in society. Young men, they come from that era, from that age, and they've grown up on social media. If anybody Googled 'nose wipe,' you'll see the language that is used and where that's affiliated. I think the players know better. I know they know better."

He added: "We're focusing on a small fraction (of players). But sportsmanship is important. ... When you see it, you've got to kill it. You've got to stop it immediately. Most players don't want it in the game, either."