Article:You shouldn't to drugs, Mmmmmkay? - Ammonia sniffing in the NFL

The latest fad on the NFL sidelines? Sniffing ammonia! I am not kidding. NFL players have been seen sniffing from over-the-counter capsules of ammonia in hordes lately. It is apparently an old weight lifters trick to wake the athlete up before a 'big lift' or event.

In the Boston Globe, Mike Reiss's article this week featured a reader asked about the recent wave of ammonia sniffing.

Here is the question and Mike's answer;

Q: At the beginning of the Pats/Giants game, there was a camera shot of Brady, Moss and Stallworth on the bench, with Stallworth seemingly giving Moss and Brady some substance out of his hand that they inhaled, like a smelling salts sort of thing. Can you shed light on this? Is this allowed? Paul Spina, Bridgewater

A: Received quite a few questions on this. The players were sniffing ammonia. That has apparently been part of the game for decades. I was unaware of it but it caught my eye while watching the broadcast, as the NFL Network broadcast locked in on Brady and Moss sniffing out of a cup held by receiver Donte' Stallworth.

Upon researching it a little, it is clear that this is not limited to the Patriot's sideline, according to this detailed report the team most 'guilty' of ammonia sniffing is, yes, the Jacksonville Jaguars. What does all this mean? Well, there is going to be a heck of allot of ammonia sniffing going on Saturday night at the Razor, for a start.

If you trawl through weight lifting and other athletics forums looking for answers on the effects ammonia sniffing can have on you, the general consensus is that, used sparingly, it can provide a quick, relatively harmless 'lift' to the athlete.

Where mature, older athletes are concerned, this shouldn't be an issue, however the problem is that these NFL stars in particular are sniffing ammonia very openly in front of massive television audiences, in other words, millions and millions of young, impressionable kids.

These kids are seeing their heroes take the substance and we all know how that works, 'If he does it I am doing it'. How long before the first ammonia sniffing fatality amongst young children? One thing was clear in my reading on the subject, in the hands of young children, ammonia can be a deadly substance.

Medical research has shown some pretty drastic side effects including paralysis and coma.

Who wants some 12 year old to take too much and end up in a coma? Time for the NFL to step in and tell their players to cop on, be mature about this and act like the role models they are. If they have to blast ammonia up their noses, do it in the locker room, out of sight of impressionable youngsters.

What's next? Jaguars players sniffing glue before heading in to the huddle?

I just don't know anymore!

By Cormac @Boston Irish