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As the NFL preseason approaches and training camps are well underway, the league made headlines on Tuesday with the news that it banned smelling salts and other ammonia products from sidelines during games.
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle broke the news during 49ers training camp before blasting the new rule, citing that he uses smelling salts “before every drive.” He is likely not the only one, either. Smelling salts have become extremely common not only in the NFL, but in high school and college football as well.
On Wednesday, however, the NFLPA clarified that the ban was not to stop players from using the products. The teams are no longer allowed to provide smelling salts to players, but they are not banned according to a statement shared by ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler.
“The NFL Players Association is aware of the memo issued by the league Tuesday regarding the use of smelling salts and ammonia capsules. We were not notified of this club policy change before the memo was sent out,” the NFLPA wrote in a statement to the players. “To clarify, this policy does not prohibit player use of these substances, but rather it restricts clubs from providing or supplying them in any form. The NFL has confirmed this to us. If you have any questions, please reach out to your player director.”
This is good news for the players, who can continue using smelling salts if they provide them for themselves. George Kittle will be ecstatic at this news, as will Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, who said that he also uses smelling salts all the time and joked that he would have to headbutt his teammates more to make up for it.
One of the likely reasons for the restriction on smelling salts is that they can be used at times to mask concussion symptoms, which explains why teams are not allowed to provide them anymore. However, it still seems as if the players have the green light to keep them on the sidelines.
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