Surprised to see your favorite athlete smoking, vaping, or using Zyn? The reality might surprise you. For famous athletes (think: Mike Tyson, John Daly, even Zinedine Zidane!), nicotine has long been a go-to for boosting performance and relieving stress. And research backs up their decision—nicotine has been found to improve reaction times and endurance, making it especially popular with sports that require sustained focus and accuracy.

Naturally, the trend has gained traction among NFL players, who rely on intensity, athleticism, and control just to survive, much less win, games. And while vaping has been officially banned by the NFL at practices and games, this hasn’t stopped players (and even coaches) from sneaking a quick puff or two on the sidelines.

So just how prevalent is nicotine in the NFL? These days, practically everyone has tried nicotine at some point. Cleveland punter Spencer Lanning estimates that “anywhere from 75 to 80 percent of the players in the Browns' locker room chew tobacco or used to do so.” It’s not an isolated incident either—Lanning states that he’s “never been on a team that didn't have at least half or 75 percent that did it.” Players who don’t use nicotine, or have never used nicotine, are now the minority. Nicotine, at the end of the day, is embedded in football culture.

Nicotine is so ingrained into the lifestyle that coaches and players often talk about it as just a part of playing ball. Steelers quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner admits that he’s had a hard time quitting nicotine, especially when he’s facing a long day of football ahead of him: "It's a habit. I'm going to get up, I'm going to take a shower, go to a meeting, first thing you do [is throw in a dip].”

Nicotine use isn’t just contained to the locker room. More often, NFL players and coaches have been spotted vaping publicly—on the sideline or even during games. Baker Mayfield, quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was recently seen opening a Zyn container and throwing in a pouch on the sidelines. Whether he realized he was on camera or not, the moment spread like wildfire on social media, sparking controversy over whether he was glamorizing the product.

Mike McDaniels, head coach for the Miami Dolphins, also made headlines when he was seen vaping during a particularly stressful playoff game. In the video, McDaniels brings his gloved hand to his mouth, before blowing a cloud of smoke in the air. While some dismissed it as steam on a cold day, McDaniels eventually came clean that he had vaped in the past. McDaniels assured listeners that he had since quit “McDaniel style,” i.e. cold turkey, so as to not distract from the playoff game. He stressed that the focus should rest on the playoff game itself, and not his alleged vape use.

Regardless if Mayfield or McDaniels have actually quit, the prevalence of nicotine usage in the NFL paints a pretty clear picture. As the pressure mounts, expect to see more player and coach nicotine usage at games in the future.

But these viral moments aren’t just one-off incidents, they are part of a larger problem for the NFL. Even though vaping or nicotine pouches can provide short term benefits to sports performance, long term usage has been linked to a wide range of respiratory disease and sustained decline in athletic performance. Some potential effects of vaping to the lungs include shortness of breath, popcorn lungs, inflammation, impaired immune response, and increased effects of asthma. And Zyn users face their own set of risks: gum recession, mouth sores, upset stomach, and mouth cancer. While nicotine itself is not a carcinogen, the chemical additives in vapes and Zyns can contribute to cancer.

In the long run, athletic performance suffers dramatically. According to Azmy Faisal, senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, vaping harms not just the lungs, and mouths, but also the blood vessels. In one study, Faisal compared the results of vapers, smokers, and non users on exercise bikes. All of the exercise participants were young—in their twenties, and in good health. His results? “The smokers and the vapers…found it harder to breathe, their muscles became more fatigued, and they were less fit overall. In this regard, our research indicated that vaping is no better than smoking.” This was just after two years of vaping and smoking!

Vaping and nicotine use also come with other potential consequences for players caught violating league policies. NFL rules strictly prohibit the use of “alcohol or tobacco products while in the playing field area or while being interviewed on television.” Consequences for using banned substances range from fines to suspensions. Baker Maysfield ultimately received a warning, but as nicotine use becomes a more visible problem, harsher punishments are likely.

If the NFL truly wants a vape-free stadium, and players want a healthier, lengthier career, the organization will have to take action. Otherwise, sideline incidents and declining performance will only continue. Some of these changes can be as simple as education—letting players know how their performance will be affected by nicotine, and how addictive nicotine is in the first place. Medical staff and team support can also help players make healthy choices, whether that means avoiding nicotine altogether or managing their current intake. And healthier options like nicotine replacement therapy (or NRT) can help harness potential benefits, while reducing nicotine usage long term.

Even though Mike McDaniels swears by quitting cold turkey, 95% of people who try quitting cold turkey ultimately relapse within the first few months. If you’ve ever struggled with nicotine, using an FDA approved NRT like Jones can help you finally kick the habit for good. Digital support tools, and our own AI Coach—Coach Jones—can help you get to the finish line. Quitting isn’t easy, but you can win this match long term.