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Giants Accuse Chiefs of Supplying Smelling Salts to $26M Star During Road Win

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Sep 22, 2025 — East Rutherford, NJ
— The Kansas City Chiefs’ Sunday night victory over the New York Giants has been overshadowed by controversy after the Giants accused the Chiefs of supplying smelling salts to their $26 million star, kicker Harrison Butker just minutes before kickoff at MetLife Stadium.

A video widely shared on social media appeared to show Butker crouching near the sideline, cracking open a small capsule, and taking a deep inhale before jogging back toward the special-teams unit. Giants officials allege the stimulant was not self-supplied but provided by Chiefs staff — a violation of the NFL’s 2025 rule prohibiting teams from distributing smelling salts.

“The league made it clear this offseason — teams are not allowed to provide smelling salts to players under any circumstances,” a Giants spokesperson said Monday. “If Kansas City really handed Butker that edge right before kickoff, it undermines fair competition. We expect the NFL to investigate thoroughly.”

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The Chiefs have not yet issued an official response. Butker, who converted all three of his field-goal attempts and two extra points in the 22–9 win, brushed off the speculation when asked postgame.

“I’m focused on my job, nothing else,” Butker told reporters. “My priority is execution and helping this team finish drives with points.”

The NFL confirmed it has opened an inquiry into the matter. While smelling salts remain legal for individual use, teams are strictly prohibited from supplying them to players at any point during games.

Any punishment would likely come in the form of fines or warnings rather than impacting the game’s outcome. Still, the incident has placed new scrutiny on a long-standing sideline ritual that, until now, had rarely drawn this level of attention from league officials.

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