Fox’s cameras focused in on Kyle Shanahan right as the San Francisco 49ers coach took a big whiff from smelling salts, a substance the NFL banned before the start of this season.

As Fox sideline reporter Tom Rinaldi was discussing how Shanahan got the Niners prepared to play in Philadelphia as part of the network’s pre-kickoff coverage, Shanahan was walking up and down the sideline before he lifted his hand up to just under his nose. With two fingers holding the small packet, Shanahan took at least four whiffs of ammonia inhalant, colloquially known as smelling salts, before handing the packet to a 49ers staffer.

Smelling salts have been a part of football for decades and it is rather commonplace on the sidelines, as the general belief is that a whiff of the strong substance can give a kick of energy and help sharpen focus. But during training camp, the NFL sent out a memo to teams saying they were banning the substance — which was highly controversial.

On the day it was announced, 49ers star George Kittle crashed NFL Network’s interview of his teammate Fred Warner to discuss the ban and said he considered retirement if he couldn’t have the smelling salts. The next day, the NFL Players Association sent its own statement clarifying that the ban was on NFL teams supplying the ammonia inhalant, but players could still use them if they supplied themselves.

The NFL’s stated logic for the ban was that it was following the recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration, which offered an official warning to consumers about ammonia inhalants in August 2024. According to the FDA, the manufacturers of ammonia inhalants “have not demonstrated these products to be safe or effective for their intended uses.” The FDA also said it received reports of adverse effects to smelling salts, including shortness of breath, seizures, migraines, vomiting, diarrhea and fainting. The memo also said the ammonia inhalants could help mask “certain neurological signs and symptoms,” making it harder to properly diagnose concussions.

But that ban clearly hasn’t stopped the 49ers from using them. The San Francisco Chronicle did a deep dive during the season on how the Niners continue to use the product and the systems they created among the players to make sure everyone has smelling salts. (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.) 

Among the people that said they use them: 49ers general manager and Pro Football Hall of Famer John Lynch and Shanahan, whom the Chronicle wrote “isn’t opposed to the occasional whiff.”