NFL Players: Smelling Salts Still in Play
Good news for NFL players. Despite the confusion generated by a league memo sent to clubs on Tuesday, players will still be able to use smelling salts during games this season, as long as they provide them themselves. The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) obtained clarification from the league and confirmed that the ammonia ban only applies to clubs that provide it to players.On Tuesday, the NFL sent a memo to the 32 clubs stating that, for the 2025 season, clubs are prohibited from providing or supplying ammonia in any form at NFL games. The memo indicated that the NFL’s head, neck, and spine committee recommended the ban due to a 2024 FDA warning about the negative effects of ammonia inhalants, including “the possibility of masking certain neurological signs and symptoms, including some possible signs of concussion.” The ban applies to all club personnel (including, but not limited to, team doctors, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, and trainers or other staff). The ban applies during the entirety of all NFL games, including all pre-game activities and halftime, and applies on the sidelines and in the stadium locker rooms. Players like George Kittle, tight end for the San Francisco 49ers, and Lavonte David, linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, publicly lamented the loss of smelling salts, as they interpreted the memo as a total ban on their use during games. On Wednesday, the NFL Players Association asked the league for clarification on whether the memo’s ban extended to players supplying their own smelling salts to games.We were not notified of this change in club policy before the memo was sent. To clarify, this policy does not prohibit the use of these substances by players, but rather restricts clubs from providing or supplying them in any way. The NFL has confirmed this to us.
NFLPA
