The NFL has banned team distribution of ammonia and smelling salts during games, per a memo sent to all 32 clubs on Tuesday.

George Kittle revealed the development on live television Tuesday. As the NFL Network crew interviewed linebacker Fred Warner at San Francisco 49ers training camp, Kittle came over to the set, initially standing behind Warner and joking around. But the 49ers tight end was given a microphone and decided to get something off his chest.

Here was #49ers TE George Kittle stating his case for a reconsideration of the banning of smelling salts and ammonia inhalants today. https://t.co/p6WRZArY9L pic.twitter.com/MNZNNjdVT3

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 5, 2025

“I honestly just came up here to air a grievance,” Kittle 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.”

Warner interjected, “He even said it: He’s not practicing anymore.”

“I considered retirement,” Kittle joked. “I considered it. We’ve got to figure out a middle ground here, guys. Somebody help me out, somebody come up with a good idea.”

The memo distributed to clubs stated that team distribution of “ammonia inhalants,” including ammonia capsules, inhalers, ammonia in a cup or any form of smelling salts, is prohibited during all NFL games, including pregame activities and halftime, both on the sideline and in locker rooms. However, the NFLPA later clarified to its players on Wednesday that the NFL’s ban only relates to teams providing the substances and does not prohibit players from using them.

NFLPA sent this message of clarity to players regarding the NFL memo about smelling salts. So players can still use them. Teams can’t provide them. pic.twitter.com/9OJb9ySmrp

— Mike Jones (@ByMikeJones) August 6, 2025

The memo cited a 2024 warning from the FDA regarding “the lack of evidence supporting the safety or efficacy of AIs (ammonia inhalants) marketed for improving mental alertness or boosting energy.” It added that AIs can be used to mask potential signs or symptoms of a concussion, leading the NFL’s head, neck and spine committee to recommend prohibiting their use.

The NFL sent this memo to its clubs today, which says teams are prohibited from providing ammonia (smelling salts) to players at games. pic.twitter.com/KbkKDgwbnW

— Jayna Bardahl (@Jaynabardahl) August 5, 2025

Smelling salts have long been spotted on NFL sidelines and have been openly used by players. According to the National Library of Medicine, smelling salts are used to arouse consciousness. The release of ammonia gas that accompanies their use irritates the membranes of the nose and lungs, and thereby triggers an inhalation reflex. Does that actually help players perform better on the football field? Answers vary.

Medical experts liken the effects of ammonia to that of a band-aid — a temporary solution to a problem that may require greater attention. Some believe the consequences of that kind of approach when it comes to head injuries may be dire.

According to a Cleveland Clinic Q&A with Dr. Elizabeth Rainbolt, a family physician at Lakewood Family Health Center in Ohio, there are tangible drawbacks to smelling salts. Dr. Rainbolt says that sniffing smelling salts in large quantities won’t necessarily cause long-term damage, nor are they physically addicting. However, they do cause intense reactions, which can be worse for individuals with asthma or other breathing conditions. It can even cause burns inside the nasal passages.

However, according to Dr. Rainbolt, the biggest drawback of using smelling salts is that it masks the bigger issue. That is why athletes often turn to them, especially in the heat of battle during games. The rush of fight-or-flight hormones from smelling salts can keep a player from feeling the true depths of pain until much later. In the short-term, it not only allows the player to get back on the field, but it may even help his performance. As current Seattle Seahawks defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence told ESPN in 2017, when he was a member of the Dallas Cowboys, the sensation brought on by smelling salts usually lasts him about one set of downs. But after that initial wave, the problem still remains — the only thing that’s changed is that he didn’t receive immediate medical care, which he may have needed. Perhaps worse, particularly in the case of head injuries, more contact may exacerbate the issue.

Although the public use of smelling salts has been accepted in football and hockey, they have been banned in boxing for some time because of the way they can mask concussion symptoms.

Last season, there was controversy after a Buffalo Bills staffer appeared to offer quarterback Josh Allen a smelling salt after he hit his head and was evaluated for a concussion during a Week 5 game against the Houston Texans. It wasn’t clear whether Allen took the smelling salt, but he did return to the game.

Four-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Terry Bradshaw opened up about his use of ammonia inhalants in a 2011 column for FoxSports.com, in which he detailed brain damage he suffered during his career.

“When I played for the Steelers and I got my bell rung, I’d take smelling salts and go right back out there,” Bradshaw wrote. “All of us did that.”

In a 2005 investigation by the Florida Times-Union on the impacts of smelling salts on athletes, former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan estimated between 70 to 80 percent of the league used the inhalants.

Kittle said he typically uses smelling salts before every drive during games.

“I miss those already,” he said.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield also weighed in on the NFL’s decision, telling “Up and Adams” host Kay Adams on Wednesday that he would be “severely affected” by the ban.

“I think it was a quick trigger to ban them. Kind of a CYA (decision),” said Mayfield, who explained that CYA means cover your ass. “Apparently, now you just gotta bring your own juice to the party. Gotta wake up ready to go.”

(Photo: Jasen Vinlove / Imagn Images)