The NFL has banned the use of smelling salts and ammonia packets ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
For George Kittle, this is very disappointing news.
The San Francisco 49ers tight end broke the news on NFL Network Tuesday. He then shared that the ban has left him “distraught.”
Kittle did so while crashing the set of an NFL Network hit at 49ers training camp during an interview with his teammate Fred Warner.
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“I honestly just came up here to air a grievance,” Kittle said after being handed a microphone. “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.”
George Kittle crashed the NFL Network set to drop the news that the league banned smelling salts and ammonia packets today — and he admits he uses them every single drive. pic.twitter.com/1orx0wzhOa
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 5, 2025
Kittle then joked that he was contemplating extreme measures in response to the rule change.
“I considered retirement,” he said, with a smile. “We’ve got to come up with a middle ground here guys. Somebody help me out. Somebody come up with a good idea.”
So why is Kittle so “distraught?”
“I’m an every drive guy,” Kittle said regarding his smelling salts use. “I’m an every drive guy.”
Kittle drew the line on using smelling salts for each play, declaring that’s “too much.”
So why the ban?
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo later shared the memo that got Kittle so worked up. It appears that Kittle’s use of smelling salts on “every drive” might not be a good idea.
Citing a 2024 memo from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the NFL explained its reasoning for banning ammonia inhalants (AIs), an umbrella term that includes smelling salts.
From the memo:
From the memo from the NFL to teams today on what @gkittle46 mentioned on our air regarding the banning of ammonia inhalants. pic.twitter.com/j63pLSdk5R
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 5, 2025
“The FDA noted potential negative effects from AI use,” the memo states. “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.”
The memo clarified that the AI category encompasses “any form of ‘smelling salts’” and prohibits any member of a team from administering or providing AIs to players at any point during a game.
The FDA memo that the NFL referenced detailed reported adverse effects of using unapproved AIs that include “shortness of breath, seizures, migraines, vomiting, diarrhea, and fainting from consumers after using these types of products, possibly purchased through various websites.”
Smelling salts are traditionally used to treat fainting victims, but have apparently become popular among athletes — particularly football and hockey players — as a perceived energy boost. This appears to be Kittle’s preferred use.
The NFL isn’t the first sports organization to ban the use of smelling salts. Hockey Quebec, a branch of Hockey Canada that oversees amateur hockey in the province, banned smelling salts in February, citing concern over their use by youth players.
