San Francisco 49ers star defensive end Nick Bosa caused a stir after his team’s Sunday Night Football victory in Week 8. Following the 49ers’ 30-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Bosa interrupted NBC’s on-field postgame conversation wearing a Make America Great Again hat, signaling his support for Donald Trump in the upcoming election.
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Since the incident, Bosa’s jersey has become one of the best-selling items on NFL.com. Fan reaction to his apparent statement has been drastically different than that of other similar moments in the past.
Former safety Ryan Clark noted that the lack of reaction to Bosa’s apparent statement contrasts the backlash faced by other athletes like Colin Kaepernick and LeBron James when they used their platforms to advocate for social justice and equality.
Voicing his frustration on the Pivot podcast with what he believes is a double standard on Wednesday, Clark called out the “shut up & dribble mob” that has hounded athletes for speaking up for progressive social causes in the past:
The “Shut up & dribble” mob hasn’t attacked Nick Bosa the way they did @Kaepernick7 & @KingJames when politics were brought into sports. @nbsmallerbear MAGA allegiance is no secret, & no one really cares. Still, it’s apparent that
crashing an interview with a MAGA hat was… pic.twitter.com/Nn01ib1ZhE— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) October 30, 2024
In 2018, Fox News host Laura Ingraham told LeBron to “shut up and dribble” after he criticized Donald Trump, calling the then-President’s remarks “laughable and scary.”
This phrase became a rallying cry for those who believe athletes should refrain from political discourse.
According to Clark, the criticism against Bosa has had none of the bite that Kaepernick and LeBron have faced. Kaepernick faced severe criticism and backlash for kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and has not been on the field since. He was labeled a “clown” by Bosa himself.
Will Nick Bosa be subject to a fine for his actions?
While the NFL is active in efforts to encourage voting, it never takes an official political stance. In fact, their rulebook forbids players from engaging in political promotions. The specific legislation mentioning such activities is Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8.
“players are prohibited from wearing, displaying, or otherwise conveying personal messages… unless such message has been approved in advance…”
Additionally, the rules that “the league will not grant permission” to any club or player to wear or display political messages related to political activities or causes during games. This includes all forms of equipment and apparel associated with the game, such as helmets, jerseys, and other uniform items.
In previous instances of such rule-breaking, the NFL has fined or threatened to fine offenders. Former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith once had a $15,000 fine rescinded for wearing a San Francisco Giants hat in a postgame press conference. He received a warning in its place.
If Bosa does receive a fine, it’s likely the league won’t reveal it publicly. But that won’t stop reporters from digging deeper to find out. The NFL’s operations division lists the fine for first-time violators of its “personal messages” as $11,255.
