{"id":50712,"date":"2025-08-07T00:05:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T00:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/50712\/"},"modified":"2025-08-07T00:05:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T00:05:09","slug":"the-nfl-has-banned-smelling-salts-could-canadian-football-follow-suit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/50712\/","title":{"rendered":"The NFL has banned smelling salts. Could Canadian football follow suit?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The National Football League in the United States is banning the use of smelling salts during games, saying the products aren\u2019t proven to be safe and also could mask signs of a concussion.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sniffing the ammonia product is thought to give players a short-term mental boost.<\/p>\n

While the Canadian Football League isn\u2019t making the same decision right now \u2014 in the middle of the season, it is on their minds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Medical Committee will review the literature and consult with league physicians in the off-season during Medical Meetings in Edmonton next January before determining a course of action,\u201d the CFL said in a memo to Global News.<\/p>\n

In Edmonton, Elks defensive lineman Jake Ceresna said he started using smelling salts in college and now he, along with many others Elks players, take a whiff from a team bottle before kickoff.<\/p>\n

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It just feels like you kind of wake up, if you\u2019re a little tired or if the moment is big and you\u2019re a little anxious, it wakes you up and gets you ready to go,\u201d Ceresna said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

He hopes players will have a say in whatever direction the CFL goes in.<\/p>\n

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Ceresna said while smelling salts are part of his pregame ritual, it wouldn\u2019t be the end of the world if they were banned \u2014 he says it\u2019s just something players would have to get used to.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re always concerned with player safety and their health, so if there is research that shows that they have negative effects and they can mask concussions, then maybe it\u2019s time we look at it in the off-season.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously it\u2019s something where we have to look at the science and see what\u2019s best.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The NFL sent a memo to teams on Tuesday explaining the decision to ban smelling salts<\/a> and any other ammonia inhalant during pregame activities, games and halftime on the sideline or locker rooms.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn 2024, the FDA issued a warning to companies that produce commercially available ammonia<\/a> inhalants (AIs), as well as to consumers about the purchase and use of AIs, regarding the lack of evidence supporting the safety or efficacy of AIs marketed for improving mental alertness or boosting energy,\u201d according to the memo obtained by The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe FDA noted potential negative effects from AI use. AIs also have the potential to mask certain neurologic signs and symptoms, including some potential signs of concussion. As a result, the NFL Head, Neck, and Spine Committee recommended prohibiting the use of AIs for any purpose during play in the NFL.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle first disclosed the ban during an interview with NFL Network on Tuesday, adding that he hoped the league would relent and \u201cfigure out a middle ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

That won\u2019t happen, according to the memo, which explicitly prohibits any club personnel from providing or supplying products such as ammonia capsules, inhalers, ammonia in a cup, and any form of \u201csmelling salts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smelling salts and other similar products have been a staple on NFL sidelines for years with many players believing they can provide a sudden jolt of energy or alertness.<\/p>\n

\u2014 With files from Karen Bartko and Sarah Ryan, Global News<\/p>\n

\n\t\t&copy 2025 The Canadian Press\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The National Football League in the United States is banning the use of smelling salts during games, saying…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50713,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[34591,49,48,521,522,520,21626,33203,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-50712","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ammonia","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-canadian-football-league","12":"tag-canadianfootballleague","13":"tag-cfl","14":"tag-edmonton-sports","15":"tag-smelling-salts","16":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50712\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}