The NFL will not decide on whether to fine San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa until next week, a league source said. Bosa interrupted a postgame interview last Sunday night to point to his “Make America Great Again” hat, a potential violation of the NFL’s rules regarding personal messages on game day.
Former President Donald Trump has used the phrase “Make America Great Again” in his presidential campaigns in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Nick Bosa crashes his teammates’ postgame interview on ‘Sunday Night Football’ while wearing a Make America Great Again hat. pic.twitter.com/1bTufDbRpc
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 28, 2024
Bosa, who did not wear the “Make America Great Again” hat to his own postgame news conference, was asked about his decision to interrupt the postgame interview while wearing the hat.
“I’m not gonna talk too much about it, but I think it’s an important time,” he said at the news conference, less than two weeks before Election Day.
The behavior appears to violate the NFL’s rules, which prohibit players from wearing or displaying items “which relate to political activities or causes, other non-football events, causes or campaigns, or charitable causes or campaigns.” The rule covers the entire time a player is visible to a stadium and TV audience, including during postgame interviews.
The NFL is set to announce Week 8 game fines Saturday afternoon, but will take its time with a decision on Bosa’s situation because the behavior does not involve a play on the field or a potential suspension, according to a league source.
That means an exact timeline for a decision is unclear. If the league does decide to fine Bosa, it could charge up to $11,255 for a first offense.
