In late October, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa crashed a live postgame interview with his teammate Brock Purdy after a win against the Dallas Cowboys, showing off his “Make America Great Again” hat in support of now President-elect Donald Trump.
“I’m not going to talk too much about it, but I think it’s an important time,” Bosa said to reporters after the game when asked why he wore the hat.
The game was played on Oct. 27, and the NFL levied a fine of $11,255 against Bosa on Nov. 9, nearly two weeks after the incident took place.
Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8 of the NFL rulebook states that players are prohibited from wearing, displaying, or conveying personal messages while they’re visible to the stadium and televised audience. This includes political activities or causes.
Before receiving the fine, Bosa acknowledged he had broken an NFL rule, telling reporters it was “well worth it” to wear the hat.
Why did the NFL delay the fine?
The NFL did not want to interfere with the election, according to new reporting from The Wall Street Journal. The report suggests that issuing a fine against Bosa before the election could have been perceived as the NFL making a statement against Trump just days before Americans cast their ballots.
Trump has been an outspoken critic of the NFL, including in 2017 when he condemned former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality.
The NFL has not yet commented on the new reporting from The Wall Street Journal.
