In a league where every snap is scrutinized and every movement analyzed, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has once again found himself at the center of controversy—not for a game-winning throw, but for something far more aromatic.
During Sunday night’s matchup against his former team, the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers was caught on NBC’s broadcast cameras using smelling salts between plays. While the moment may have passed quickly on screen, it set off a chain reaction across the league and among fans online. This was not a one-time occurrence. Just a week earlier, during the Steelers’ nail-biting 33–31 loss to Cincinnati, Rodgers was also seen engaging in the same practice.
The timing of the incidents is crucial. Earlier this year, the NFL issued a ban—at least in part—on the use of smelling salts and ammonia inhalants (AIs) during games, citing player safety and guidance from the FDA.
While the ban technically applies only to teams providing these stimulants to players, and not to players bringing their own, the optics of Rodgers using the substance in-game have reignited debate over the policy’s effectiveness and intent.
Old Man Rodgers always brings his own salts
pic.twitter.com/UOsxtaHs3x— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 27, 2025
The controversy doesn’t end with Rodgers. San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle went so far as to crash a live NFL Network segment just to air his frustration. “I honestly just came up here to air a grievance,” Kittle declared. “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.” His blunt reaction echoed sentiments from many around the league who see the move as overreach.
The memo in question, sent earlier in 2024, explained the NFL’s rationale. The FDA had issued a warning about the lack of evidence supporting the use of AIs for mental alertness and cited potential health risks. More critically, the NFL’s Head, Neck, and Spine Committee noted that smelling salts might mask neurological symptoms—especially dangerous in a sport where concussions are already under intense scrutiny.
Yet the policy is more nuanced than it appears. Players are not explicitly banned from using smelling salts, so long as they supply them independently. Rodgers, presumably doing just that, hasn’t technically broken a rule. Still, the backlash has less to do with legality and more to do with perception: a league cracking down on a stimulant that players have used for decades, now trying to navigate the complex terrain of health, optics, and personal choice.
Even outside of football, smelling salts have courted attention. Joe Rogan, never far from unconventional topics, once tried them live on his podcast alongside comedian Theo Von. Both men winced, laughed, and marveled at the “intensity” of the experience—an honest if exaggerated representation of the stimulant’s effect.
