49ers’ Nick Bosa: On-field MAGA hat stunt was ‘well worth’ likely fine

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa has no regrets about flashing his “Make America Great Again” hat.
Following the 49ers’ 30-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys last week on “Sunday Night Football,” Bosa crashed reporter Melissa Stark’s on-field interview with his teammates Brock Purdy, George Kittle and Isaac Guerendo. Bosa pointed to his white “MAGA” hat, the slogan of President-elect Donald Trump, before running off the field.
Bosa declined to go into detail about the move later that night, saying only “I’m not gonna talk too much about it, but I think it’s an important time.” But the four-time Pro Bowler opened up about his political statement on Wednesday, one day after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to become the 47th U.S. President.
“Clearly, the nation spoke,” Bosa told reporters Wednesday.
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Bosa’s political statement violated the league’s rule against “wearing, displaying, or otherwise conveying personal messages… which relate to political activities.” Bosa won’t be suspended for his ploy, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports under the condition of anonymity. The person did not want to be identified because the case is still under review.
However, Bosa’s actions will likely result in a fine, which Bosa said will be “well worth it.”
“I haven’t got (fined) yet, but if it comes, it comes,” said Bosa, who acknowledged that he knew his actions would possibly lead to some form of discipline from the league. “I don’t think my position on speaking about it is going to change.”
When asked about election night Tuesday, Bosa said: “It was fun. It was a good time. I stayed up.”
Bosa was selected by the 49ers with the second overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft. Ahead of the draft, Bosa faced criticism over his controversial social media posts, including one that called former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick a “clown,” in addition to his liking posts with racist and homophobic language. Bosa deleted the tweets in question and apologized.
Contributing: Jarrett Bell
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