A former Miami Heat security guard was charged this week with transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce, accused of stealing jerseys and other memorabilia and selling the items to online brokers.

Perez worked for the Heat from 2016 to 2021.

The equipment room had game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia that the Heat intended to display in a future team museum.

That Game 7 jersey sold at a Sotheby’s auction in January 2023 for $3.7 million. Over a three-year period, Perez allegedly sold over 100 items, sometimes shipping them across state lines, for about $2 million. Authorities said those items sold were well below the market value.

Authorities executed a search warrant in April on Perez’s residence, where they found nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia. The Heat said those items were indeed stolen from their facility.

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The Cincinnati Bengals have typically afforded their top players sparing preseason action during Zac Taylor’s six seasons in charge of the team.

That approach is poised to change in 2025.

The Bengals are playing their preseason opener Thursday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Star quarterback Joe Burrow is expected to play in that contest, as are several other key playmakers like Ja’Marr Chase.

Why are the Bengals changing their approach and giving their starters more action during the 2025 preseason? Here’s what to know about Cincinnati’s strategic shift.

Why Bengals are playing Joe Burrow, other starters in preseason

Taylor explained he is hoping getting his players exposed earlier to ‘game atmosphere’ will allow the Bengals to get off to a faster start during the 2025 NFL season.

‘Going on the road like we are Week 1. We do have a road primetime game early in the season,’ Taylor told reporters Tuesday. ‘So, the lights are on, you’re in a road environment. That’s great… As much as we practice it and do it, it’s not the same feel. So, I think just those 11 guys being in the huddle on both sides of the ball and all the communication that’s got to occur. It’s just a good opportunity for those guys to get some additional reps.’

The Bengals have typically gotten off to a slow starts under Taylor. They sport a 1-5 record under his leadership in Week 1 and have started three consecutive seasons with a mark of 0-2 or worse, including an 0-3 start to the 2024 NFL season that played a critical role in their missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

That’s why the Bengals are experimenting with giving their top players more preseason reps, a decision that has been received positively by their best players.

‘Yeah, I’m excited for the chance to get better,’ Burrow said about the preseason in late July. ‘Those are valuable reps that we haven’t had in the past for good reason, but I think we’re making the right decision this year, and I think that’s going to benefit us in the long run.’

Still, while Burrow and Co. will see increased action in the preseason, they aren’t targeting the Eagles matchup as their biggest workload of the preseason.

‘We don’t have this targeted for our biggest play time for all of our guys. We really picked Washington to be able to do that,’ Taylor explained.

So, how much will the Bengals top players be on the field in preseason Week 1?

‘Another thing, I hate to put it in stone,’ Taylor said. ‘A couple series. Several series. Several series is what we’ll give those starters.’

That may not seem like a lot. However, Burrow has attempted just eight preseason passes since 2021. As such, playing ‘several series’ would represent a major uptick in tune-up opportunities for the Bengals starting offense.

The Toronto Blue Jays set a franchise record for runs scored in a three-game series, outscoring the Colorado Rockies 45-6.
The Blue Jays amassed 63 hits during the series, the most by a single team in a three-game series in the Modern Era.

During the past three days, the Toronto Blue Jays took some serious batting practice at Coors Field in Denver. Unfortunately, for the Colorado Rockies, that batting practice took place in real games and further cemented their miserable season.

The Blue Jays had 63 hits in the series, the most by a single team in a three-game series in the Modern Era (since 1901). The run differential of 39 is one shy of the major league record of 40, set by the Brooklyn Superbas against the Cincinnati Reds in 1901. The Superbas are now commonly known as the Los Angeles Dodgers.

‘It’s a really good team that puts the ball in play a ton. That’s what they do,’ Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said, in the understatement of the year. ‘It’s why they’re on top of the American League. So you’ve got to tip your hat to them, and we’ve got to make better pitches.’

In Wednesday’s game, the Blue Jays hit five homers and had 24 hits, and they smacked 13 round-trippers during the series. Toronto also had 40 more hits than the Rockies, the biggest hit differential in a three-game series since 1900.

The Blue Jays (68-48) have a four-game lead over the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. The Rockies have the worst record in baseball at 30-84 with a run differential of minus-316. The major league record in the modern era was set by the 1932 Boston Red Sox with a run differential of minus-349.

Spencer Danielson is glad his Boise State team is back in the conversation, “which it should be.”

Following their first College Football Playoff appearance, the Broncos are No. 25 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, the first time they will start the season ranked since 2018.

“It’s awesome you know that people or writers or coaches think that we’re going to be good. We should be,” Danielson told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s Boise State.”

But the Broncos’ spot and admission reveals a noticeable fact about the Top 25: not only are they the last team in the poll, but are the only Group of Five team in it. That comes a year after no Group of Five teams started the season ranked, only the fifth time in the 35-year history USA TODAY Sports has administered the coaches poll.

Which begs the question: Are the non-power schools not getting enough respect, in a world that is becoming far less catered toward them?

It wasn’t long ago when Boise State and others annually occupied higher spots in the preseason poll. In 2010, the Broncos started at No. 5 and TCU and Utah, then members of the Mountain West, were No. 7 and No. 24, respectively, marking the only time three Group of Five teams started the season ranked in consecutive years. In 2011, Boise State was seventh and the Horned Frogs were 15th.

Since then, it’s become rare for schools outside the power conferences to be ranked high in the preseason. Boise State in 2013 (19th), Houston in 2016 (13th) and Cincinnati in 2021 (No. 10) are the only times Group of Five teams have ranked in the top 20. After 14 consecutive seasons from 2000-13 of being represented in the poll, the non-powers have been left out in 2014 and 2024. 

It’s not like Group of Five teams aren’t doing bad either. At least one of them finished in the final top 25 in 33 of the 35 past seasons, and multiple were in 32 of them.

So what happened?

Impact of conference expansion and transfer portal

Danielson has seen this change unfold being with the Broncos since 2017, starting as a graduate assistant and rising to interim head coach during the 2023 season and then getting job permanently. He cited the impact of the transfer portal as a key factor. One thing you’ll notice about those teams that crashed the BCS party were they were teams built on roster retention.

Nowadays, successful Group of Five teams often get stripped with standout players getting lucrative offers to play for Power Four teams.

“I think back with Boise State years ago, where it’s like they would have these teams that would be really successful, and then you return all your players, right? So you’re ranked in the top 10, top five, because of that,” he said. “I think the transfer portal has something to do with that.”

It’s worth noting many names that heavily populated the polls – Brigham Young, TCU, Utah, Houston, Central Florida and Cincinnati – all leveled up the power conferences. The Cinderella darlings are now with the big boys. Boise State is moving to the Pac-12 in 2026, but it’s no longer considered a power conference.

And the big boys dominate the 2025 preseason poll. Led by No. 1 Texas, the SEC makes up four of the top nine spots and nine in the Top 25, with the Big Ten owning six spots.

The SEC nearly had 10 in the poll. Oklahoma had the most points of teams not making the Top 25. The Sooners were 25 points behind Boise State. Had their positions flipped, it would’ve meant the preseason poll didn’t include a school from outside the power conferences in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1995-96. 

Even though the Broncos lost Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty, Danielson believes the success of last season is why the Broncos made the list. He’ll congratulate his team about making it because it hasn’t happened in seven years, but remind them “heavy is the crown.”

Boise State knows finish is more important that starting spot

As the lone Group of Five team ranked, the Broncos have an early edge toward securing the automatic bid into the playoff should they win the Mountain West title again. But Danielson knows it doesn’t guarantee anything.

Last season, Boise State went from unranked to finishing No. 9, its highest spot in the final since 2011. Meanwhile, 13 teams in the 2024 preseason poll finished unranked.

Danielson recalled after Boise State lost to Oregon in the second game of the season, “everybody knew we probably can’t drop another one.” They Broncose didn’t en route to securing the No. 3 seed in the playoff by finishing ahead of Big 12 champion Arizona State and ACC champion Clemson in the final playoff rankings.

However, the preseason poll illustrates the uphill battle the Group of Five teams have to prove they are worthy of national recognition, while Power Four teams will continue to fill up the rankings. Danielson is aware how strong of an impression his team has to make, even at Boise State where “there’s always high expectations.”

“Group of Five, probably you got to lose less, right? It’s just the reality of what you see how college football is,” he said.

For now, the Broncos are still carrying the flag for Group of Five teams, as they have done for 20 years. But while they present optimism for the level, there are plenty of teams that are hoping to take their place.

Memphis, Army, Tulane, Navy, UNLV and Buffalo all received votes in the preseason poll. Others could get in the mix, including South Florida, which hosts Boise State in Week 1.

“I think there’s a lot of really good teams out there,” Danielson said. “There’s a lot of really good Power Four teams. There’s a lot of really good Group of Five teams, but there’s only room for 25 seats right now, and that’s going to ebb and flow.

“Every single one of us have an opportunity to play in the College Football Playoff. I think as long as that is always the case, that’s what makes college football amazing.”

Once again, the Dallas Cowboys are in the news over a contract dispute with one of their star players. Last offseason it was wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott.

This time around, it’s star edge rusher Micah Parsons.

The 2021 first-round pick has been one of the top sack artists in the league since his rookie season. Only four players have more sacks than him over the last four seasons – Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt, Trey Hendrickson and Nick Bosa – and he’s looking for an extension that puts him on par with their compensation.

Parsons requested a trade last week as negotiations have hit a standstill. He mentioned in a post to social media that he’d spoken with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones earlier in the offseason about a contract.

“In March I met with Mr. Jones to talk about leadership. Somehow the conversation turned into him talking contract with me,’ Parsons said. ‘Yes I engaged in a back and forth in regards to what I wanted from my contract, but at no point did I believe this was supposed to be a formal negotiation and I informed Mr. Jones afterward my agent would reach out thinking this would get things done.”

Jones and the Cowboys believed they had reached a deal with this conversation while Parsons thought his agent, David Mulugheta, would take care of it.

Jones was asked about that conversation at training camp today.

“I bought the Cowboys with a handshake,’ Jones said. ‘It took about 30 seconds. I gave the number, shook hands, the details we worked out later.

The fundamental ‘I’m buying and you’re going to sell it to me for that range,’ that’s done and those are done with eye contact and handshakes. Just so you understand the way that I communicate with people that I negotiate with.’

When it comes to Parsons’ new deal, Jones said that they have a contract in writing.

‘There is no question that in the case of a player contract, you have to have it in writing,’ Jones said. ‘We have a contract in writing yet we’re still talking about re-negotiating. So, so much for that.’

He added that there’s no sticking point from his view.

‘Nothing that I would say is out of the ordinary,’ he said.

Micah Parsons contract latest

Parsons is entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2025. His salary for the season is fully guaranteed after the Cowboys picked up his fifth-year option. The team and his representation were able to negotiate an extension last year but Parsons said the team decided to focus Lamb and Prescott instead.

‘I’ve seen players I wish we had renegotiated their contracts earlier and I’ve had several that I was sorry I renegotiated their contract earlier,’ he told Bell. ‘The idea that if you wait there’s more money (spent) forgets that in between that wait, you get to evaluate and you frankly get to see if you’re dealing with the same physical elements of it.’

Is Micah Parsons playing?

Parsons is not participating in training camp drills but is on the field for practices in Oxnard, California, as of this week.

Even if signed, he would not be expected to play much in the Cowboys’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams.

Jones is now unsure if Parsons will be available for the season opener against the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

‘No, absolutely not,’ Jones told reporters when asked if he’s confident Parsons would play in Week 1. ‘A big part of that is his decision. How would I know that? I’m just saying. But I’m urgent.’

That’s a slight change from his previous comments that Cowboys fans should not ‘lose any sleep’ over these negotiations.

The start of the NFL season is about a month away, and Bud Light is celebrating with special beer cans adorned with team logos and colors.

The company announced on Thursday, Aug. 7, the return of its limited-edition NFL team cans that will highlight 27 sponsored teams across the league. There are 32 teams in the NFL, meaning five teams will not be represented on the cans.

These five teams are:

Chicago Bears
Dallas Cowboys
Green Bay Packers
Las Vegas Raiders
Minnesota Vikings

Bud Light says this season’s cans feature a ‘sleek new look’ and prominently showcase team logos, official team colors, and jersey-inspired retro stripes wrapping the top and bottom of each can. Each can also includes a QR code giving fans access to content and exclusive experiences like VIP tailgates, game tickets, and one-of-a-kind merch drops.

Bud Light debuts commercial starring Peyton Manning

In addition to the NFL team cans, Bud Light has also partnered with legendary quarterback Peyton Manning on a new commercial, titled ‘Parachute,’ that highlights how far fans will go – or free-fall – for a Bud Light.

The spot depicts Manning skydiving into a football stadium as part of the NFL airman brigade. Manning changes course towards what he thinks is an ice-cold Bud Light, but instead crashes into a realistic stadium billboard, according to a news release from Bud Light.

When does the NFL season begin?

The first game of the NFL season will take place on Thursday, Sept. 4, with the Dallas Cowboys facing off against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia.

The game will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock, with kickoff scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET.

Week 1 of the NFL season will also feature a divisional matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, played in Brazil, as well as a heavyweight battle between two AFC favorites when the Baltimore Ravens take on the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.

Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified NWSL MVP frontrunner Esther Gonzalez.

Two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Ali Krieger grew up playing three sports — basketball, volleyball and, of course, soccer.

She said playing multiple sports not only helped build different skills, but kept her in the game.

‘(Playing more than one sport) is so valuable because … around age 14 or 15, a lot of athletes who are just playing one sport burn out,’ Krieger said. ‘They have had enough and they don’t really enjoy the game anymore, or have the same love of the game, that they did at the very beginning, which is so unfortunate.’

Burnout is among the reasons that by age 14, girls are dropping out of sports at two times the rate of boys, according to the Women’s Sports Foundation. Gotham FC has been working in partnership with Dove on an initiative called ‘Keep Her In the Game.’

The latest iteration of the partnership includes Rebel Girls Sport and a book called ‘Changing the Game: A Playbook for Champions in Training.’ Copies of the book will be handed out when Gotham FC hosts the Washington Spirit (noon ET, Saturday) at Sports Illustrated Stadium. A digital copy (linked above) will also be distributed by First Book in New York public schools, the Brooklyn Public Library and the Manhattan Children’s museum.

‘Our goal is to inspire young girls to keep them playing sports and become the best version of themselves,’ Rebel Girls CEO Jes Wolfe said. ‘We’re hoping to reach more than a million girls and their grownups with this book.

‘What’s so cool about (the book) was every player was very open and honest about their journey and some of the roadblocks that came along the way.’

NWSL MVP frontrunner Esther Gonzalez shared her struggles with shyness, Gotham FC teammate Midge Purce tore a knee ligament right before the 2024 Olympics and Rose Lavelle has struggled with a hamstring injury for years. Gotham FC general manager Yael Averbuch West, a former player, shares that her career was cut short by ulcerative colitis. She said her shift to the front office shows young women that you can succeed in sports off the field.

‘We’re going to persevere regardless of what obstacles come our way,’ Averbuch West said. ‘Success may look different for different people. And it’s not always exactly as you expected it.

‘Things come up, life happens, and there’s a lot of different ways to be successful and to impact people.’

More than 700 of the Keep Her in The Game program’s 1,700 members have attended Gotham FC games since last August and 750 plan to attend Saturday’s match vs. Washington. Krieger said the players work to make themselves available to the fans.

‘You do that extra work behind the scenes, whether it’s creating this book, creating a campaign, or how can I go over to fans and stay after the game for 30-plus minutes and sign however many autographs,’ Krieger said.

Gotham FC hopes the program and new book have a lasting impact.

‘We do hope to continue to be able to influence and provide opportunities for girls to play the game, to watch the game, maybe to one day work at our club, to own a club,’ Averbuch West said. ‘You know, there’s so many avenues. These young women, we’re interacting with them as soccer players, but we are also interacting with them as fans, as future leaders of households and business — decision makers.

‘The hope is to inspire these girls to have a longstanding love and involvement in the game that goes far beyond the field.’

Oklahoma State has been playing college football in what is now called Boone Pickens Stadium for more than 100 years. It’s the oldest home field in the Big 12. But the money infused by the Cowboys’ biggest booster and stadium namesake (before he died in 2019) transformed the place into a state-of-the-art facility over the past 20 years ‒ and to rave reviews.

The feedback is in at this point and the changes have been a big hit. Boone Pickens Stadium had the best reviews of any college football venue in the country ahead of the 2025 season as judged by the ratings systems at Yelp, Tripadvisor and Google. It had a 4.8 (out of 5) star rating based on more than 1,700 combined entries on the three services.

Famous fields like Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium and LSU’s Tiger Stadium from the SEC, The Big House at Michigan and Clemson’s Memorial Stadium were also among the familiar favorites that landed in the top 25 based on the reviews by users. But the list was slightly different than traditional surveys of the country’s best college football stadiums, with a few notable snubs that just missed the list. Boone Pickens Stadium, for instance, slotted in at No. 25 in USA TODAY’s recent ranking of college football stadiums.

The Big 12 actually had the two best-reviewed stadiums among the 136 Football Bowl Subdivision schools based on the average combined ratings doled out on Google, Yelp and Tripadvisor over the years. Kansas State’s Bill Snyder Family Stadium had the second-best combined rating in the country.

The SEC did lead the way with four of the top 10 best-reviewed stadiums and six of the top 25 best stadiums in college football, according to Google, Yelp and Tripadvisor. The Big 12 followed closely with five stadiums on the list, while the Big Ten had four. There were also seven Group of Six conference schools with stadiums that made the top 25 based on ratings and reviews, with Hancock Whitney Stadium, where Sun Belt Conference member South Alabama plays its home games, finishing among the top five overall.

Here’s a full breakdown of the top 25 college football stadiums in the country based on Google, Yelp and Tripadvisor ratings entering the 2025 season:

College football stadium rankings 2025

Note: Rankings based on average star ranking at Google, Yelp and/or Tripadvisor. Ratings as of Wednesday, August 6

1. Oklahoma State ‒ Boone Pickens Stadium

Yelp: 4.8 stars, 6 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.8 stars, 37 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 1,683 reviews

2. Kansas State ‒ Bill Snyder Family Stadium

Yelp: 4.5 stars, 13 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.9 stars, 34 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 1,619 reviews

3. Alabama ‒ Bryant-Denny Stadium

Yelp: 4.6 stars, 68 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.8 stars, 668 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 5,539 reviews

4. South Alabama ‒ Hancock Whitney Stadium

Yelp: 4.5 stars, 4 reviews
Tripadvisor: N/A
Google: 4.8 stars, 388 reviews

5. Texas A&M ‒ Kyle Field

Yelp: 4.4 stars, 42 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.8 stars, 429 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 3,279 reviews

6. LSU ‒ Tiger Stadium

Yelp: 4.4 stars, 73 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.8 stars, 902 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 3,843 reviews

7. Clemson ‒ Memorial Stadium

Yelp: 4.9 stars, 16 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.7 stars, 266 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 2,868 reviews

8. Auburn ‒ Jordan-Hare Stadium

Yelp: 4.1 stars, 43 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.8 stars, 237 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 3,151 reviews

9. Virginia Tech ‒ Lane Stadium

Yelp: 4.5 stars, 20 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.7 stars, 161 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 1,932 reviews

10. Nebraska ‒ Memorial Stadium

Yelp: 4.5 stars, 59 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.7 stars, 523 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 4,761 reviews

11. Michigan ‒ Michigan Stadium

Yelp: 4.4 stars, 150 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.7 stars, 774 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 8,988 reviews

12. BYU ‒ Lavell Edwards Stadium

Yelp: 4.1 stars, 37 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.2 stars, 26 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 2,826 reviews

13. Georgia ‒ Sanford Stadium

Yelp: 4.5 stars, 50 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.7 stars, 387 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 3,295 reviews

14. Iowa ‒ Kinnick Stadium

Yelp: 4.3 stars, 28 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.4 stars, 133 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 3,297 reviews

15. Oklahoma ‒ Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

Yelp: 4.3 stars, 29 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.6 stars, 266 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 3,054 reviews

16. Army ‒ Michie Stadium

Yelp: 4.4 stars, 15 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.6 stars, 112 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 928 reviews

17. West Virginia ‒ Milan Puskar Stadium

Yelp: 4.6 stars, 5 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.6 stars, 242 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 1,472 reviews

18. Notre Dame ‒ Notre Dame Stadium

Yelp: 4.2 stars, 102 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.6 stars, 557 reviews
Google: 4.8 stars, 5,038 reviews

19. Coastal Carolina ‒ Brooks Stadium

Yelp: 5 stars, 2 reviews
Tripadvisor: N/A
Google: 4.7 stars, 668 reviews

20. Liberty ‒ Williams Stadium

Yelp: 5 stars, 2 reviews
Tripadvisor: N/A
Google: 4.7 stars, 714 reviews

21. Jacksonville State ‒AmFirst Stadium

Yelp: N/A
Tripadvisor: N/A
Google: 4.7 stars, 669 reviews

22. Troy ‒ Veterans Memorial Stadium

Yelp: N/A
Tripadvisor: N/A
Google: 4.7 stars, 544 reviews

23. Wisconsin ‒ Camp Randall Stadium

Yelp: 4.6 stars, 68 reviews
Tripadvisor: 4.7 stars, 430 reviews
Google: 4.7 stars, 3,392

24. Appalachian State ‒ Kidd Brewer Stadium

Yelp: 4.3 stars, 3 reviews
Tripadvisor: N/A
Google: 4.7 stars, 623 reviews

25. Wyoming ‒ War Memorial Stadium

Yelp: 4.4 stars, 8 reviews
Tripadvisor: N/A
Google: 4.7 stars, 728 reviews

The NFL announced Tuesday its teams would be prohibited from distributing smelling salts to its players during the league’s 2025 season.

However, the league did not actually ban the products from being used, as the NFLPA clarified Wednesday.

‘We were not notified of this club policy change before the memo was sent out,’ the NFLPA wrote in a message to its players, per ESPN. ‘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 NFL has confirmed this to us.’

The confusion stemmed from the NFL’s initial memo to players, which explained why NFL clubs would no longer be permitted to distribute smelling salts to its players.

‘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 FDA noted potential negative effects from AI use. 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.

‘In light of this information, effective for the 2025 NFL season, clubs are prohibited from providing or supplying ammonia in any form at NFL games. For clarity, ‘ammonia’ refers to ammonia capsules, inhalers, ammonia in a cup, and any form of ‘smelling salts.’ This prohibition applies to all club personnel (including but not limited to team physicians, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches and coaches or other personnel). The prohibition applies through the entirety of all NFL games, including during all pregame activities, and halftime, and applies on the sideline and in stadium locker rooms.’

Several NFL players took the memo to mean the use of smelling salts had been banned outright. That upset many, including San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, who said he was ‘distraught all day’ after reading the memo.

‘I’m an every drive guy,’ Kittle said of his use of smelling salts in an appearance on NFL Network. ‘I considered retirement. We got to figure out a middle ground here guys. Somebody help me out, somebody come up with a good idea… I miss those already.’

After the NFLPA’s clarification, Kittle no longer has to worry about negotiating a middle ground.

He will, however, have to provide his own stash of smelling salts if he wants to continue using them in 2025.