NFL Reports a 133% Increase in 'Inappropriate Gestures'

Arizona Cardinals v Denver Broncos - NFL Preseason 2025 — Source: Justin Edmonds / Getty

NFL officials are cracking down on unsportsmanlike conduct during the 2025-2026 season, as they has been a historic uptick in poor sportsmanship.

The NFL held a media briefing Thursday afternoon to address various topics, including player safety and points of emphasis.

Per Pro Football Talk, NFL rules analyst and former official Walt Anderson shared on a Thursday conference call that the league will be taking a special focus on “sportsmanship” during the 2025 season.

“Anderson specified violent gestures and sexual gestures as types of activities that will be flagged by the officials in addition to subjecting players to fines,” PFT’s Michael David Smith reported about the call.

The NFL, which has been mocked as the ‘No Fun League’, has seen a 133% increase in inappropriate gestures compared to last season. League officials say there’s a “distinction between celebrations that bring teammates together and celebrations that taunt opponents or reflect poorly on the league”, and that “Officials will be tasked with making that distinction when enforcing the unsportsmanlike conduct rule this season.”

“From the standpoint of our taunting, it was up, I believe, about 55% last year,” Anderson said. “Unsportsmanlike gestures, whether they were simulating or brandishing a gun or inappropriate gestures like a throat slash or unfortunate sexual gestures that were made, those were up almost 133%, so that is a point of emphasis.”

The league has a list of banned celebrations and gestures, including the ‘nose wipe’ innuendo that was banned in April.