NFL Bans Teams From Giving Out Smelling Salts Over Concussion-Masking Risk

George Kittle disrupted an NFL Network interview on Tuesday at 49ers training camp to “air a grievance.”

The tight end revealed the league issued a ban on teams distributing smelling salts and ammonia packets for the 2025 season. 

“Our team had a memo today that smelling salts and ammonia packets were made illegal in the NFL, and I’ve been distraught all day,” Kittle said. The six-time Pro Bowler admitted he uses smelling salts on “every drive.”

Front Office Sports obtained the memo that the NFL sent to its teams. It refers to a 2024 FDA warning about “the lack of evidence supporting the safety or efficacy” of smelling salts or ammonia packets, and said that the products “have the potential to mask certain neurologic signs and symptoms, including some potential signs of concussion.”

The league said it was banning teams from distributing the products, including “ammonia capsules, inhalers, ammonia in a cup, and any form of ‘smelling salts’” at the recommendation of the league’s Head, Neck, and Spine Committee. The game-day ban applies to all team personnel and includes pregame, halftime, sidelines, and locker rooms.

Smelling salts—which many NFL players openly use—are used as a stimulant. It’s used across many sports, not just in football, but also in hockey and weightlifting.

Last season, Bills quarterback Josh Allen was taken to the medical tent to be evaluated for a concussion following a hit in a Week 5 game against the Texans. The 2025 MVP returned to the game, but the NFL received criticism after it appeared Allen received a smelling salt before taking the field.