The NFL’s ongoing crackdown on on-field celebrations took another turn this week, as Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and rookie running back Bucky Irving were both fined for a gesture the league has deemed unacceptable - and fans are not taking it lightly.
After Tampa Bay’s narrow 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals, cameras caught Mayfield and Irving celebrating with what’s known as the “nose wipe” gesture. It wasn’t flagged during the game, but the league reviewed the footage and handed down fines after the fact: $14,491 for Mayfield and $6,349 for Irving.
The gesture, which has been linked to gang symbolism - specifically the Bloods - is part of a list the NFL updated before the season, identifying it as a “violent gesture” alongside others like the throat slash or mimicking the firing of a weapon. According to league rules, any such action can draw a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, though in this case, the discipline came postgame.
The reaction from fans? Swift and overwhelmingly critical.
Social media lit up with confusion and frustration. One user wrote, “I guess I missed the ‘violent’ part of the gesture here,” while another added, “What was the violent part?
I thought they could have fun again.” Others revived the long-standing nickname for the league - the “No Fun League” - and questioned the consistency and logic behind the enforcement.
The fines also reignited a broader debate about how the NFL polices player behavior, especially when it comes to celebrations. For many fans, gestures like the nose wipe are just part of the modern game - a bit of swagger, a little personality, and a way for players to express themselves in moments of high emotion. But for the league, it’s about drawing a line between fun and what they view as potentially harmful messaging.
NFL executive Troy Vincent addressed the issue earlier this year, explaining the rationale behind the ban. “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.”
Vincent emphasized that the league’s intent isn’t to target players unfairly, but to maintain a standard of sportsmanship. “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.”
The NFL has made it clear that it’s serious about cleaning up what it sees as problematic gestures, but the backlash from fans shows just how tricky that line can be to walk. Where the league sees a symbol with troubling roots, many fans see a harmless bit of flair - especially when it’s not flagged in real time and only punished retroactively.
For Mayfield and Irving, the fines are now part of the record, but the larger conversation about celebration policing in the NFL is far from over. With tensions between player expression and league image management continuing to simmer, this likely won’t be the last time a touchdown celebration sparks controversy.