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          NFL Nation

          Spelling bee co-champ throws up the X, Dez Bryant approves

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          A rivalry emerges at the Spelling Bee (0:53)

          Jairam Hathwar and Nihar Janga are crowned co-champions of the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee and not only does Nihar leave Jairam hanging for a celebratory high-five, he also does he best Dez Bryant celebration. (0:53)

          • Todd Archer, ESPN Staff WriterMay 27, 2016, 12:11 AM ET
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              Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010. You can follow him on Twitter at @toddarcher.
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          IRVING, Texas -- Dez Bryant might not have been watching the Scripps National Spelling Bee live, but the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver quickly became a huge fan of co-winner Nihar Janga.

          Janga channeled his inner Bryant, throwing up the "X” after being named co-champion with Jairam Hathwar on Thursday night.

          Bryant took to Twitter to congratulate Janga.

          Janga is a fifth-grader at River Ridge Elementary School in the Leander Independent School District, outside of Austin, Texas, so naturally he’s a Cowboys fan.

          Before the spelling bee, Janga’s father promised him to take him to a Cowboys game in 2016 if he won, though later, when Janga made the top 10, he changed his tune and said they'd go regardless of where Janga finished. The opponent Janga wants to see the Cowboys play? The Giants.

          Now he might not only go to a game, he might be a guest of Bryant’s.