The National Football League, fearing backlash from fans and former President Donald Trump, reportedly waited until after the election to fine San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa for jumping into a nationally televised postgame interview on Oct. 27 to show viewers his MAGA hat.
Bosa was fined $11,255 over the weekend, several days after he violated the NFL's rules about players displaying messages while on the field, but rather than fine him quickly, as is usual, the NFL deliberately took a time out, sources close to the situation told The Wall Street Journal.
Had Bosa been fined sooner, that may have been seen as a statement against Trump, the sources said. Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8 of the NFL rule book says that when players are visible on game days, they are "prohibited from wearing, displaying, or otherwise conveying personal messages either in writing or illustration."
Bosa, who jumped into the postgame interview and pointed at his cap, has said that getting fined was "well worth" it.
But other fines have come quicker. When Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens had a message, "Open f—ing always" on his eyeblack, it only took a few days for the NFL to fine him $10,231 for the remark he'd written.
With Bosa, the NFL knew that Trump chided professional sports and its players' actions in the past, particularly after former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started to kneel during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality.
Trump called Kaepernick's actions unpatriotic, and in 2017, players leaguewide started to kneel as well.
The president-elect even this year criticized the NFL, attacking the league's new kickoff rule during a Pennsylvania rally just one day before the election.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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