Nick Bosa’s post-game hat message violated plain language of NFL rules

After Sunday night’s Cowboys-49ers game, NBC’s Melissa Stark was interviewing a trio of 49ers. Teammate Nick Bosa showed up briefly, wearing a hat and pointing to it.

Because it was white with gold lettering (and not the usual red with white lettering), the message wasn’t obvious at first. It said, “Make America Great Again.”

Regardless of which candidate in the upcoming presidential election any hat worn by Bosa (or anyone else) would have worn before, during, or after the game, it’s a clear violation of the rulebook.

As flagged by Alex Simon of SFGate.com, the plain language of Rule 5, Article 4, Section 8 applies to post-game messages from players:

“Throughout the period on game day that a player is visible to the stadium and television audience (including in pregame warm-ups, in the bench area, and during postgame interviews in the locker room or on the field), players are prohibited from wearing, displaying, or otherwise conveying personal messages either in writing or illustration, unless such message has been approved in advance by the League office. . . . The League will not grant permission for any club or player to wear, display, or otherwise convey messages, through helmet decals, arm bands, jersey patches, mouthpieces, or other items affixed to game uniforms or equipment, which relate to political activities or causes, other non-football events, causes or campaigns, or charitable causes or campaigns.” (Emphasis added.)

Simon asked the league if Bosa violated the rule, but he had not gotten a response. We’ve asked the league also.

That’s a non-partisan question. If the message supported Donald Trump or Kamala Harris or any other candidate for any other office, the rule would still be broken.

During his post-game press conference, Bosa declined to elaborate on the situation: “I’m not gonna talk too much about it, but I think it’s an important time.”

It wouldn’t have been a violation of the rules for him to explain why he thinks it an important time, and why he believes it’s important to support the candidate he chooses to support. He would have been fully within the rules to do it — just as former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick acted fully within NFL rules when he chose to kneel during the national anthem as a form of protest.

It will be interesting to see what the league does. Because even if the league applies the rule as written, someone will undoubtedly twist it into the league being run by left-wing radicals who are trying to silence players.

You know, some of the same folks who were so intent on silencing Kaepernick.