San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa caused quite a stir when he interrupted NBC Sports’ postgame interview with his teammates Brock Purdy, George Kittle and Isaac Guerendo after the team’s 30-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football.”
Bosa didn’t say a word, but he wore a white hat with yellow lettering that read “Make America Great Again” — a seeming endorsement of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who coined that phrase during his first term as president.
While the 27-year-old edge-rusher can simply tune out the social media firestorm he started (Bosa isn’t active on X), what he can’t choose to ignore is a potential punishment for breaking NFL rules.
Per Alex Simon of SF Gate, Bosa’s hat violates Rule 5, Article 4, Section 8 of the NFL rule book, which applies to players sending personal messages through any form of clothing or fashion accessories.
“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 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 campaigns.”
Should the NFL does punish Bosa for his actions, he’s subject to a fine of $11,255 for a first-time violation of the personal message uniform policy.
Pittsburgh Steelers receiver George Pickens was fined $10,231 in Week 5 for violating the same policy after wearing eye black with the message “open f***ing always.” Kittle was fined last season for violating the same policy when he pulled up his jersey to reveal his undershirt had the words “F*** Dallas” written across it.
Both Simon and Pro Football Talk reached out to the NFL to see if Bosa requested permission to wear the hat or if it approved of the message on the hate, but neither got a response.
