Over the weekend, San Francisco 49ers star pass rusher Nick Bosa went viral when he crashed his teammates’ postgame television interview to show off his “Make American Great Again” hat in support of Donald Trump in the upcoming election. That clip has led one of Bosa’s former teachers to call him out.
As news of Bosa’s antics went viral on social media, a former high school classmate and eventual summer school teacher of Nick Bosa took to social media to blast the star pass rusher.
I went to high school with both Nick and Joey Bosa. I taught Nick speech and debate in Summer School. He’s as racist as he is dumb. And I hope the NFL holds him accountable. https://t.co/zcc1shvD7I
— Jean-Marcos González 🇵🇷 (@polosmarcos) October 29, 2024
“I went to high school with both Nick and Joey Bosa. I taught Nick speech and debate in Summer School. He’s as racist as he is dumb. And I hope the NFL holds him accountable,” Jean-Marcos González said in a post on X, the social media website that was formerly known as Twitter.
González went on to point out that Bosa’s actions are clearly in violation of the NFL rule book.
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.
It’s not clear whether or not Bosa will face punishment for these antics, but based on the rulebook he very well could.
It’s worth noting that Bosa declined to elaborate on his political display during his press conference.
“I’m not gonna talk too much about it,” Bosa told reporters. “But I think it’s an important time.”
We’ll have to see whether or not he is punished.
