Unsportsmanlike Conduct Penalty in Football

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What is an Unsportsmanlike Conduct Penalty?

There are quite a few instances where an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty can be called. Some folks will confuse the personal foul penalty with the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The difference is the personal foul penalty is a contact penalty, where the latter is a non contact penalty. One of the most recent additions is excessive celebrations by players, which you will usually see on a touchdown. This penalty can also be called for inappropriate actions, such as hand gestures or verbal abuse to the officiating crew.

Number of Yards

The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty is 15 yards and an automatic first down in the the NFL and College Football.

The Signal

When signaling the Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty the referee raises both arms to the side of their body, almost as if they were flying.