NFL Weighs Response to Player's Political Message

Crashing his teammates' post-game interview might have just been rude, but wearing a cap with a pro-Donald Trump message while doing it would appear to have broken NFL rules. After the league did not answer multiple outlets' requests for information on any inquiry into Nick Bosa's action on Sunday, reporters for CBS Sports and Washington Post posted on X that NFL officials said they're looking into the matter. The rule seems clear that the stunt was a violation, but league sources said there'll be no public announcement until after Tuesday's election. A fine appears to be in play but not a suspension, the sources said. Analysts raised questions about the moment, which took place after Bosa's 49ers defeated the Cowboys on Sunday night.

• The crash: Bosa interrupted the interview with Brock Purdy, George Kittle, and Isaac Guerendo by pausing between Purdy and NBC's Melissa Stark and pointing to the "Make America Great Again" on his cap, per CNN. His point was not lost on the participants. "All right, Nick Bosa with a message there," Stark said as Bosa jogged away.
• The rule: Players are prohibited from making or displaying personal or political messages on their equipment. The rule specifies that it applies to post-game interviews on the field, and it says it includes anything that can be seen by the television audience. NBC Sports has the rule here.

• The delay: Analysts see the league not risking making waves before the election. "Really, there's nothing to review," Mike Florio writes for NBC. "It's a violation or it isn't. The plain language of the rule says it is. The business interests of the NFL says to delay."
• The uneven responses: The NFL had no problem blackballing Colin Kaepernick for making a political point, Jim Trotter writes in an opinion piece for the Athletic, writing that "double standards are business as usual in the country's most popular and powerful league." He points out a history of also going easy on owners who committed various offenses and coming down hard on players. This episode could suggest "the league is more comfortable with a White player using its national spotlight to endorse a presidential candidate than it is with Black players demonstrating against systemic racism," Trotter says.
• The punishment: The Steelers' George Pickens was fined $10,000 this season for displaying a personal message in his eye black during a game, per CBS Sports. That amount wouldn't make much of a dent in Bosa. He's on a five-year, $170 million contract, per Yahoo Sports. Bosa changed caps before joining the post-game press conference later on Sunday.

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