By Moses Joshua 
Detroit’s latest attempt at creativity runs headfirst into the league’s ever-flexible rulebook
What started as a lighthearted, inside-joke celebration quickly turned into another reminder of why the NFL still wears the nickname “No Fun League.” During the Detroit Lions’ Week 15 clash with the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, officials stepped in to shut down a quirky first-down celebration involving some of the team’s biggest offensive stars.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Jameson Williams barely had time to debut their routine before it was flagged—verbally, at least—as unacceptable.
A Celebration That Didn’t Last a Drive
The Lions’ offense wasted little time putting its personality on display. After moving the chains early, St. Brown, Gibbs, and Williams put a twist on Detroit’s usual first-down signal. Instead of simply pointing toward the chains, the trio pantomimed digging into their noses and flicking something forward.
It didn’t make it past the opening drive.
On the St. Brown Bros. podcast, Amon-Ra explained how quickly the message came down from the sideline.
“We did it on the first drive. Our receiver coach (Scottie Montgomery) comes through after the first drive and says, ‘Hey man, ref said you guys can’t do that no more.’ I’m like, ‘What the (expletive)? Really?’ You can’t dig in your nose and flick it. That’s crazy, NFL. Why can’t I dig up my nose and flick it?”
According to St. Brown, officials warned that continuing the celebration would result in a penalty.
Where the Rulebook Gets Murky
Here’s where things get interesting: the so-called “booger flick” celebration isn’t explicitly banned in the NFL rulebook.
Unlike Jameson Williams’ Week 11 touchdown celebration—where he hugged and slid down the goalpost against Philadelphia, earning a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a $14,491 fine—this one didn’t involve using equipment as a prop.
Instead, any enforcement would fall under the league’s broad taunting rule. Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 defines taunting as “baiting or taunting acts or words that may engender ill will between teams.”
The problem? The rule leaves plenty of room for interpretation.
Gestures like the “nose wipe” have been flagged before, but pretending to pick your nose and flick it isn’t specifically named. That gives officials discretion to decide whether a celebration is harmless humor—or mockery aimed at an opponent.
A Familiar Frustration for Detroit
For Lions fans, the incident feels like déjà vu. Detroit has repeatedly found itself on the wrong side of celebration enforcement, even when the gestures aren’t clearly prohibited.
The inconsistency is what frustrates players most. If the celebration isn’t listed as illegal, why shut it down preemptively? In this case, the answer appears to be perception: if an official believes a gesture could be interpreted as taunting, they can warn—or penalize—it on the spot.
That gray area is exactly what fuels the “No Fun League” reputation.
Creativity vs. Control
The Lions weren’t trying to show up the Rams. By all accounts, the celebration was an inside joke among teammates that never made it past the sideline. Still, officials made it clear: keep it up, and the yellow flags come out.
As Detroit pushes through a critical stretch of the season, the focus will stay on winning games—not testing the limits of the rulebook. But moments like this underline a familiar tension in today’s NFL: players want personality, the league wants control, and the line between the two remains frustratingly subjective.
For now, the Lions will have to keep their celebrations clean—even if their sense of humor isn’t.