George Kittle can smile. Smelling salts arent

When is AI not artificial intelligence? When it refers to ammonia inhalants, aka smelling salts.

When are these AIs in the news? When it was reported that the NFL banned their use, San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle protested, and the NFL walked back the ban a day later. The league’s gamers affiliation clarified that gamers can still use AIs as long as groups don’t present them.

Got it?

The NFLPA despatched a memo to gamers on Wednesday saying that the ban only prohibits staff staff from distributing AIs during video games.

That must have happy Kittle, who when under the impression that AIs have been banned utterly, grabbed a microphone on an NFL Network broadcast to say, “I honestly just came up here to air a grievance. 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.”

The five-time All-Pro tight end said he used the substances for an power enhance before every offensive drive and joked that upon studying of the ban he “considered retirement.”

Except that it isn’t a ban. Kittle will just have to deliver his own AI stash to ballgames.

“To clarify, this policy does not prohibit player use of these substances, but rather it restricts clubs from providing or supplying them in any form,” the NFLPA memo said. “The NFL has confirmed this to us.”

The use of AIs by NFL gamers has been under the radar despite apparently being a common observe. Their major use is to forestall and deal with fainting, with the Federal Aviation Administration requiring U.S. airways to carry them in the event a pilot feels faint.

The ammonia gasoline irritates the nasal membranes, inflicting a reflex that will increase respiratory and coronary heart fee. That can keep a particular person from fainting, and apparently can also help a particular person block and sort out.

In short, an AI — which has been described as smelling like cat urine — is a performance-enhancing substance.

The NFL, however, cited a warning from the FDA that AIs can masks symptoms of a concussion and haven’t been confirmed to be secure or efficient merely to increase power.

“In 2024, the FDA issued a warning to companies that produce commercially available ammonia 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,” the NFL memo to groups said. “The FDA noted potential negative effects from AI use.

“AIs also have the potential to mask certain neurological 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.”

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield — who says he makes use of AIs — said the logic behind the NFL no longer supplying them is convoluted.

“I think the reasoning was that it masked concussion symptoms,” Mayfield said on “Up and Adams.” “But if you get knocked out, which is the whole purpose of smelling salts — to wake you up — you’re not allowed back in the game.

“I think it was a quick trigger to ban them, just to kind of CYA [cover your ass].”

Maybe NFL officers determine that by no longer supplying AIs and forcing gamers to deliver their own batch to video games, their legal responsibility in case of concussions or other medical issues is decreased.

“You just got to bring your own juice to the party, got to wake up ready to go,” Mayfield said.