The $11,255 fine the NFL issued to San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa for wearing a MAGA hat on October 27 was deliberately delayed until after the November 5 presidential election to avoid blowback from Donald Trump and his supporters, sources told The Wall Street Journal.
NFL players are strictly ‘prohibited from wearing, displaying, or otherwise conveying personal messages either in writing or illustration’ throughout game day. Therefore, Bosa’s decision to interrupt a post-game interview while wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ ballcap was in clear violation of league rules.
But while it’s no surprise Bosa incurred a minor penalty (just .06 percent of the nearly $17 million he’ll earn in salary and bonuses this season), the timing of the NFL’s decision has raised eyebrows.
‘And Nick Bosa wears a MAGA hat and gets an eleven thousand dollars fine,’ one critic wrote online before referencing controversial ex-Niners QB Colin Kaepernick. ‘Does anyone else remember someone wearing pig socks and a Castro t-shirt and being hailed as a hero?’
Typically, the NFL has issued such fines much faster than the two weeks it took the league to penalize Bosa. For instance, when Pittsburgh Steelers receiver George Pickens wrote ‘always f***ing open’ across his eye black, the league responded with a $10,231 fine within a week.
Nick Bosa surprises teammates by showing off his MAGA hat to NBC’s audience last month
Donald Trump and Kid Rock are seen at an Alabama-Georgia game in Tuscaloosa
An NFL spokesman did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment about the timing of Bosa’s fine.
CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones previously revealed on November 1 the NFL planned to punish Bosa after the November 5 election.
Despite the league’s rule against ‘wearing, displaying, or otherwise conveying personal messages’ a number of Trump critics rushed to support the defensive end.
‘I won’t be watching the NFL this week,’ wrote social media personality Nick Adams on X. ‘Not a single game. Not a single play.
‘The woke NFL is trying to run Nick Bosa out of the league like Tebow because he expressed a belief they didn’t like.
‘Disgusting. Boycott the NFL!’
Conservative sports podcaster Jason Whitlock has called the fine ‘bogus,’ while many others complained about the social justice messaging NFL players were permitted to wear during the 2020 season.
More than anything, fans accused the NFL of trying to silence a conservative voice within the league.
‘He should’ve worn BLM attire,’ one fan wrote. ‘They’d have given him 11Gs.’
Bosa has been an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump since before being drafted in 2019
Niners star Nick Bosa is a Donald Trump fan and the feeling is evidently mutual
Social media personality Nick Adams seized on the issue and clams he’s boycotting the NFL
Many suggested that Bosa was being targeted for supporting Donald Trump
CBS reported on November 1 the league planned to delay Bosa’s fine until after the election
‘Funny how [Black Live Matters] messages weren’t [fined], and neither were the players kneeling for the national anthem….which was done to convey a personal message,’ one critic wrote on X.
In 2016, the NFL stated that players are ‘encouraged by not required to stand during the playing of the National Anthem.’
A long-time supporter of Trump, Bosa knew he’d likely be fined and told reporters before ever receiving the penalty that ‘it was well worth it.’
Bosa gave another hat tip to Trump on Sunday when he imitated Trump’s notorious fist-pumping YMCA dance after sacking Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Trump responded online by writing: ‘NICK BOSA IS A GREAT PLAYER!’
Back in 2019, Trump tweeted out congratulations to Bosa ‘on being picked number two in the NFL Draft.’
‘You will be a great player for years to come, maybe one of the best,’ Trump wrote at the time. ‘Big Talent! San Fracisco will embrace you but most importantly, always stay true to yourself.’
As for the NFL’s political leanings, USA Today reported in October that team owners donated a total $28 million this election cycle, with most of that going to Republicans.
