San Francisco 49ers star defensive end Nick Bosa put himself in the crosshairs of the liberal media and commies on social media when he crashed a teammate’s interview to display a MAGA hat last Sunday night.
However, he also put himself in the sights of the disciplinary arm of the NFL.
As the NFL rulebook states in Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8, “Throughout the period on game day that a player is visible to the stadium and television audience (including in pregame warm-ups, in the bench area, and during postgame interviews in the locker room or on the field), players are prohibited from wearing, displaying, or otherwise conveying personal messages either in writing or illustration, unless such message has been approved in advance by the League office.”
That rule would seem to cover Bosa’s postgame interview demonstration with the MAGA hat.
What does the rulebook say specifically about political messaging? The league is clear on that as well.
“The League will not grant permission for any club or player to wear, display, or otherwise convey messages, through helmet decals, arm bands, jersey patches, mouthpieces, or other items affixed to game uniforms or equipment, which relate to political activities or causes, other non-football events, causes or campaigns, or charitable causes or campaigns. Further, any such approved items must be modest in size, tasteful, non-commercial, and non-controversial; must not be worn for more than one football season.”
So, clearly, if the NFL wanted to fine Nick Bosa for his political demonstration, it would be well within its rights to do so based on its own rules.
But will they?
This is a more complicated question. The answer could be found in the league’s handling of the Colin Kaepernick protests.
In 2018, as the national anthem protests sparked by Colin Kaepernick swept through the league, the NFL passed a measure requiring players to either stand for the anthem or remain in the locker room during the anthem performance.
Why?
Then-NFL Media reporter Jim Trotter spoke with Packers CEO Mark Murphy who explained the NFL’s reason at the time: “We can’t have Trump weaponizing our league,” Murphy told Trotter.
So, though the rule never took effect due to pushback from the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), the owners’ decision to effectively ban the protest and the reasoning behind it offer insight into what is likely the league’s current reasoning regarding the Bosa situation.
What’s changed? If the NFL was afraid of Trump using his platform to bash the league, are they any less afraid of that six years later, a week before the election?
Of course not.
If the NFL were to fine Bosa ( and the fine would be a mere pittance for the 49ers defensive end), the league would be handing Donald Trump and JD Vance a giant mallet with which to bludgeon them to pieces right at the peak of the quadrennial silly season. It would be an extremely unwise decision that would lead to catastrophic ramifications in terms of public relations at a time when NFL ratings are soaring.
And it might even cause more pro-Trump athletes to come forward.
We are three days removed from the event, which could suggest that the league, the 49ers, or both have decided to handle the matter internally or do nothing at all. In any event, the Bosa situation is a sleeping dog, and the league would be better off letting it lie.
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