The NFL fined San Francisco 49ers pass rusher Nick Bosa $11,255 for wearing a Make America Great Again hat on the field during a postgame interview in Week 8, a source tells CBS Sports.
The league determined Bosa violated league rules related to personal messages, which includes a prohibition on messages related to “political activities or causes.” Bosa can appeal the fine, but earlier in the week he said “if it comes, it comes.”
“It was well worth it,” Bosa told reporters at his locker Wednesday.
Bosa donned the hat in support of Donald Trump following San Francisco’s Week 8 victory against the Dallas Cowboys. In a postgame interview on NBC, Bosa appeared behind his teammates and pointed to the white hat with gold font on his head. After the game he declined to go into detail beyond saying it is “an important time” for the country.
CBS Sports first reported last week the league would be looking into the matter as a potential violation of league rules. A source said that because it didn’t involve a play on the field and didn’t rise to the level of a suspension, that a determination wouldn’t be made until later in the following week.
Trump was declared the winner of the election in the early morning hours of Wednesday on the East Coast. The fine came a few days later.
Here’s the full rule from Rule 5, Article 8 of the league’s rulebook:
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. Items to celebrate anniversaries or memorable events, or to honor or commemorate individuals, such as helmet decals, and arm bands and jersey patches on players’ uniforms, are prohibited unless approved in advance by the League office. All such items approved by the League office, if any, must relate to team or League events or personages. 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. 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; and if approved for use by a specific team, must not be worn by players on other teams in the League.
The NFL at large made it a point to not get into the political fray this election season, multiple sources have told CBS Sports over the past several months. The league reignited its nonpartisan NFL Votes campaign to encourage civic engagement among the NFL community and its fans, but the country’s most popular sports league was very careful about what it said and when.
“We’re trying to be very, very, very intentional about being unifying during a polarizing time in our country,” a high-ranking NFL executive told CBS Sports in the summer. “Have football be something people can rally around no matter what’s going on. We did that during COVID. We’re hoping this can be a positive force in people.”
At the May league meetings in Nashville, league executives gave a presentation to NFL team owners and executives about the political landscape ahead of election season. Sources say owners saw data that showed the league’s favorable perception around the country, and that data showed growing favorability in the years since 2017 when there were widespread protests that took place during the national anthem.
The plan, according to multiple sources, was for the league to stay above the fray. The league viewed — and still views — itself as the “last, great convening force in this country in terms of platform, audience and media attention,” one source put it.
But sources say the league never wanted to silence anyone. The meeting took place shortly after Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker made international headlines with a commencement address. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said at that meeting that while Butker speaks only for himself, the “diversity of opinions and thoughts” is something the league treasures.
Sources urged during the election cycle there was no edict from the league for owners or players to be quiet about political matters.
“We wouldn’t tell them to not do that. That’s not our style,” an executive said. “Diversity of thought and views is very important. We’re not trying to silence anyone. What we’re asking of leaders across the entire league to understand the environment we are in and be thoughtful in how you’re comporting yourself. That’s really the request. Understand the environment we’re in and be intentional and thoughtful about how we’re presenting ourselves. We need to try to rise above the pulling in of conversations.”
As one source in the room for the league’s presentation to owners put it: “We don’t want to be used as a political football, pun intended.”
