Sunday night after the San Francisco 49ers’ victory over the Dallas Cowboys, quarterback Brock Purdy was speaking in a postgame interview when defensive end Nick Bosa appeared in the background wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat. When asked about Bosa’s hat during his own media availability, Purdy declined to address it. The NFL likely won’t address it either, but the situation has stirred debate over the irony of Bosa’s expression on the same team where former quarterback Colin Kaepernick famously took a knee during the National Anthem in 2016—a gesture that sparked intense backlash, including from then-President Donald Trump, who labeled Kaepernick a “son of a b****.”
Ryan Clark, on The Pivot podcast, expressed frustration with what he sees as leniency given to Bosa for his political expression, compared to the backlash and blackballing faced by players like Kaepernick for using their platform to speak out.
“When Nick Bosa shows up in a MAGA hat during Brock Purdy’s interview, he knows exactly what he’s doing,” Clark said to his co-hosts. “When you say ‘Make America Great Again,’ what was so great before? What part of America are you trying to get back to? Based on what we’re hearing from certain campaign rallies, there’s only one side that seems to promote division and look down on differences.”
Clark noted that Bosa’s actions raise questions about the double standard that allows certain players to express controversial views without repercussion, especially given Bosa’s reputation as a leader on the 49ers. “There’s a long history of Nick Bosa’s social media posts pushing back against cultural inclusivity,” Clark pointed out. “And it’s ironic, this happening on the same team in San Francisco where Kaepernick lost his career—not because he said America is a bad place, but because he wanted America to be a better place for everyone.”
Clark continued with a point on the recurring “shut up and dribble” sentiment often directed at Black athletes who speak out on issues like police brutality. “It’s always ‘shut up and dribble’ for athletes like LeBron James when he speaks up or for Colin Kaepernick when he protests. But it’s interesting that this attitude never seems to apply to athletes advocating for the majority. When Trump called Kaepernick and other players who kneeled ‘sons of b****es,’ nobody told him to keep politics out of sports,” Clark said. “When you wear that hat, you’re choosing a side—a side of division in a sport that’s supposed to bring people together.”
Clark wrapped up by calling out the silence from those who usually oppose athletes mixing politics with sports. “I’m just waiting for all those same people who comment under posts telling Black athletes to ‘shut up and play’ to tell Nick Bosa to ‘shut up and rush.’”
Candid and perfectly said by the former Super Bowl champion.
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