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Dolphins Accuse Bills Of Supplying Smelling Salts To $48M Star During Home Win

Trump fundraiser sparks backlash for SoulCycle, Miami Dolphins owner  Stephen Ross - syracuse.com

Buffalo< NY - Sep 19,2025 — The aftermath of Buffalo’s win over the Miami Dolphins took a dramatic turn as Miami officials claimed to have evidence that running back James Cook, the team’s $48 million star, used smelling salts directly on the field just moments before a play began.

A video circulating on social media shows Cook bending down, cracking open a small vial, and taking a sharp inhale before lining up in the backfield. According to the Dolphins, this goes beyond personal use and raises suspicions that the Bills supplied the smelling salts, a direct violation of the NFL’s newly implemented 2025 ban.

“The rule is clear — teams are not allowed to provide smelling salts to players. If this video is what it appears to be, there’s reason to believe Buffalo crossed the line,” Dolphins owner said after the game. “We will be submitting our evidence to the league. Fair play has to be protected.”

Video: https://x.com/staples_ben/status/1968835749735719300

The NFL has yet to issue a formal response. Should the accusation hold, the Bills could face significant fines and disciplinary action against team personnel, though the game result itself would not be overturned.

Cook declined to directly address the video, telling reporters only: “I’m focused on playing football and helping my team win.”

If confirmed, this would mark the first high-profile case tied to the league’s new smelling salts policy, adding a layer of controversy to Buffalo’s divisional victory.

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Chiefs Head Coach Announces Chris Jones to Start on the Bench for Standout Rookie After Costly Mistake vs. Jaguars
  Kansas City, MO —The Kansas City Chiefs’ coaching staff confirmed that Chris Jones will start on the bench in the next game to make way for rookie DT Omarr Norman-Lott, following a mistake viewed as pivotal in the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The move is framed as a message about discipline and micro-detail up front, while forcing the entire front seven to re-sync with Steve Spagnuolo’s system. Early-week film study highlighted two core issues. First, a neutral-zone/offsides penalty on a late 3rd-and-short that extended a Jaguars drive and set up the decisive points. Second, a Tex stunt (tackle–end exchange) that broke timing: the call asked Jones to spike the B-gap to occupy the guard while the end looped into the A-gap, but the footwork and shoulder angle didn’t marry, opening a clear cutback lane. To Spagnuolo, this was more than an individual error—it was a warning about snap discipline, gap integrity, pad level, and landmarks at contact, the very details that define Kansas City’s “January standard.” Under the adjusted plan, Omarr Norman-Lott takes the base/early-downs start to tighten interior gap discipline, stabilize run fits, and give the call sheet a cleaner platform. Chris Jones is not being shelved; he’ll be “lit up” in high-leverage situations—3rd-and-long, two-minute stretches, and the red zone—where his interior surge can collapse the pocket and force quarterbacks to drift into edge pursuit. In parallel, the staff will streamline the call sheet with the line group, standardize stunt tags (Tex/Pir), shrink the late-stem window pre-snap, and ramp game-speed reps in 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 so everyone is “seeing it the same, triggering the same.” Meeting the decision head-on, Jones kept it brief but competitive: “I can’t accept letting a kid take my spot, but I respect the coach’s decision. Let’s see what we’re saying after the game. I’ll practice and wait for my chance. When the ball is snapped, the QB will know who I am.” At team level, the Chiefs are banking on a well-timed hard brake to restore core principles: no free yards, no lost fits, more 3rd-and-longs forced, and the return of negative plays (TFLs, QB hits) that flip field position. In an AFC where margins often come down to half a step at the line, getting back to micro-details—from the first heel strike at the snap to the shoulder angle on contact—remains the fastest route for Kansas City to rebound from the stumble against Jacksonville.