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Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has avoided a fine for using a ZYN pouch on the sideline during Monday’s 41-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Per ESPN’s Jenna Laine, the league won’t discipline Mayfield for using the nicotine pouch even though NFL rules prohibit the use of nicotine on the sidelines and during interviews.
Laine did note the NFL will send Mayfield a letter reminding him of the nicotine policy.
The incident occurred early in the third quarter when ESPN cameras followed Mayfield on the Bucs’ bench and he put something in his mouth.
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Baker really using ZYN during the middle of the game pic.twitter.com/1RYnN7Epld
In a 2015 article by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler about the use of smokeless tobacco within the NFL, former Cleveland Browns punter Spencer Lanning estimated that 75 to 80 percent of his teammates either chewed tobacco or had at some point.
The NFL can’t stop players from using nicotine products on their own time, but it does prevent them from being used on the sidelines and when being interviewed.
Mayfield’s use of the nicotine product did catch the attention of the company that manufactures ZYN. Swedish Match told TMZ Sports that while it appreciates loyal customers, the company also requested “not to show the product in any situation where someone under 21 years old could see it.”
ZYN is a nicotine pouch that is marketed as an alternative to cigarettes, but it still contains nicotine in a pouch that is inserted between the gum and upper lip. The nicotine enters into the user’s bloodstream after the pouch dissolves.
Mayfield hasn’t commented on the situation. He used the ZYN pouch after throwing interceptions on back-to-back drives in the second quarter, including one in the end zone after the Bucs got down to Baltimore’s three-yard line looking to take a 17-7 lead.
The Ravens scored 10 points off Mayfield’s two turnovers to turn a 10-7 deficit into a 17-10 advantage before halftime.
