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NFL Announces Decision On 49ers DE Nick Bosa’s Persecution For Wearing MAGA Hat

On Saturday, the NFL revealed their decision on a punishment for San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa. Bosa made a controversial decision to wear a “Make America Great Again” hat during a postgame segment on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” following the 49ers win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.

The reasons for Bosa to wear that are pretty clear. The hat is known to be worn by political supporters of President-elect Donald Trump. He was using his platform on NBC to give Trump free advertising with just over a week before the general election.

Nick Bosa said any fine was worth it

San Francisco 49ers, Nick Bosa
Oct 27, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa (97) celebrates as he leaves the field after the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Bosa knew that wearing the hat would invite scrutiny from the league. However, as recently discussed on GH, the All-Pro didn’t care about any potential backlash, especially after Trump was re-elected.

“It was well worth it,” Bosa said  “I don’t think my position on speaking about it is going to change. Clearly, the nation spoke and we got what we got.”

It was unclear if Bosa would be suspended or just subject to a fine for the impermissible political action.

The NFL punished Bosa

Philadelphia Eagles Lane Johnson
Dec 3, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson (65) blocks with  49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the league announced Bosa was fined $11,255 for wearing the hat.

“NFL fined 49ers DE Nick Bosa $11,255 for wearing a MAGA hat during last Sunday night’s postgame interviews on NBC,” Schefter wrote. “Bosa told reporters that he knew the NFL might fine him, but it was ‘worth it.'”

No suspension is forthcoming.

Schefter reported the reasoning the league has for the fine:

“Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8 of the NFL rulebook states that “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.”

The league chose to persecute Bosa for his choice to wear the political item. However, they did so in a much more civil way than how they persecuted Colin Kaepernick for otherwise conveying a personal message via an Illustration.

Colin Kaepernick Miami Dolphins Tyreek Hill NFL fans
Colin Kaepernick gets inducted into the Nevada Sports Hall of Fame during halftime of the game against Idaho State at Mackay Stadium in Reno on Sept. 11, 2021.
Ren Unr Idahost 09

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Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and NFL news, click here!

 

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About Jordan Sigler

Jordan Sigler is a sports journalist. He writes about sports for Wisconsin Sports Heroics, ChiCitySports, and Gridiron Heroics. His craft has been nationally syndicated for Yardbarker, MSN, and Bleacher Report.

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