{
  "id": 9668292,
  "title": "Tee Higgins Addresses Bengals' Controversial Celebration: 'Back to the Lab'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/tee-higgins-addresses-bengals-controversial-celebration-back-to-the",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-25T01:12:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/sports/nfl/tee-higgins-addresses-bengals-controversial-celebration-back-to-the-lab-12486088"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins and teammate Ja Marr Chase have announced they will no longer use their unique touchdown celebration after it became a controversial topic. The controversy arose following Chase's touchdown catch against the Houston Texans, where Chase imitated a finishing move from WWE superstar Dwayne \"The Rock\" Johnson. Many people on social media deemed the gesture lewd or vulgar. In an interview on Thursday, Chase claimed the move was a reference to The Rock's \"People's Elbow.\" However, Higgins stated that this wasn't the case, and they simply incorporated it into their first-down celebration. Higgins and Chase received a combined $89,556 in fines for the celebration. The Bengals, currently undefeated with a 2-0 record, will now devise a new celebration to replace the controversial one, dubbed \"back to the lab\" by Higgins.",
  "summary": "Tee Higgins says his and Bengals teammate Ja'Marr Chase's unique celebration is over after they \"got the letter\" from the NFL.",
  "key_points": [
    "Tee Higgins and Ja Marr Chase stop controversial touchdown celebration",
    "Gesture mimicked WWE superstar Dwayne \"The Rock\" Johnson's move",
    "Bengals receive $89,556 in fines for the celebration"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Bengals' decision to retire their touchdown celebration means they will avoid further controversy and fines, allowing them to focus on their successful season.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}