NFL players can breathe a sigh of relief due to a rule about a once-thought-banned stimulant after San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle aired his grievance on live TV.
On Tuesday, the NFL released a memo stating that smelling salts have been banned for the upcoming season and beyond.
The NFL clarified a ban on smelling salts and ammonia capsules on Wednesday[/caption]
It was revealed that the use of smelling salts and ammonia capsules would be banned for the upcoming campaign, the league announced in a memo.
However, the ban comes with a big asterisk.
Players are still allowed to whiff smelling salts before and during games this season, but the policy “restricts clubs from providing or supplying them in any form,” the NFL shared with ESPN on Wednesday.
That means players can use their own smelling salts and ammonia capsules.
The NFL’s clarification comes after Kittle interrupted his 49ers teammate Fred Warner’s interview on NFL Network and announced that the league had banned smelling salts.
Kittle interpreted the memo as an all-out ban on using the capsules during games.
“I honestly just came up here to air a grievance,” the six-time Pro Bowler said.
“Our team got a memo today that smelling salts and ammonia packets were made illegal in the NFL, and I’ve been distraught all day.”
The next day, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed the news over the smelling salts clarification.
And Kittle, who’s known for his quick wit, sent a meme gif of Robert Redford smiling from the 1972 film Jeremiah Johnson, indicating his pleasure at ban clarification.
The memo shared that the ban of teams providing smelling salts to players was made due to FDA warnings that were issued in 2024, noting negative effects which include masking “certain neurological signs and symptoms, including some potential signs of concussion.”
During the crashing of the NFL Network interview, Kittle revealed that he’s a regular user of smelling salts, which helps give him a boost of energy for every offensive drive.
The ninth-year veteran even joked that the memo news was so brutal that he contemplated walking away from the game.
“I considered retirement,” Kittle jokingly said.
“We have got to figure out a middle ground here, guys.
“Somebody help me out.
“Somebody come up with a good idea.
“That’s all I had to get out there. Get that off my chest.”
NFL WEEK 1 SCHEDULE
(All times ET)
Thur 4 Sept
8.20 pm – Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Fri 5 Sept
8pm – Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers
Sun 7 Sept
1pm – Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons
1pm – Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
1pm – Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts
1pm – Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots
1pm – Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints
1pm – Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets
1pm – New York Giants at Washington Commanders
1pm – Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars
4.05 pm – Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos
4.05 pm – San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
4.25 pm – Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
4.25 pm – Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams
8.20 pm – Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
Mon 8 Sept
8.15 pm – Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Kittle will be entering his ninth season as he aims to amass the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the third straight campaign.
