San Francisco 49ers star pass rusher Nick Bosa went viral for displaying his “Make American Great Again” hat to the television cameras following Sunday’s win, and it sounds like one Democratic lawmaker wants him removed from the team as a result.
Following Sunday’s win over the Dallas Cowboys, Nick Bosa interrupted his teammates’ postgame television interview to show his MAGA hat to the cameras. The incident quickly went viral on social media, and one California lawmaker clearly was not happy about the display.
After seeing the video, California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas – a Democrat who represents the state’s 29th Assembly District – took to social media to make it clear that he wants Bosa removed from the team.
I hope @JedYork trades Nick Bosa to Mar-A-Lago. As a lifelong @49ers fan, I can say I’ve seen enough of Bosa in California. https://t.co/jrf0UWS2Ho
— Speaker Robert Rivas (@CASpeakerRivas) October 30, 2024
“I hope [49ers team owner] Jed York trades Nick Bosa to Mar-A-Lago. As a lifelong 49ers fan, I can say I’ve seen enough of Bosa in California,” Rivas said in a post on X, the social media website that was formerly known as Twitter.
It’s unlikely that the team will trade or release Bosa as a result of his antics, but it is likely that Bosa could be punished by the league.
According to Fox News, the NFL rulebook offers some pretty clear restrictions for what players are and are not allowed to wear while at the stadium in Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8. The rulebook prohibits players from displaying “personal messages either in writing or illustration.”
“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 handbook states.
Beyond that, the rulebook makes it very clear that this applies to political messages, too.
“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 campaign. 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,” the rulebook states.
The league has not yet announced a decision on whether Bosa will receive any punishment.
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