Nick Bosa crashed his teammates' postgame interview to express his support for Donald Trump. Screen grab: ‘Sunday Night Football’
By Ben Axelrod on

Nick Bosa’s political leanings have never been much of a secret.

But in case anyone was still wondering, the San Francisco 49ers star defensive end made his support for Donald Trump clear following his team’s victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

As NBC’s Melissa Stark interviewed 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle and running back Isaac Guerendo on the field after San Francisco’s 30-24 win, Bosa snuck into the frame. Wedging his head between Stark and Purdy, the Ohio State product pointed to his white and gold “Make America Great Again” hat before quickly running away.

“Alright, Nick Bosa with a message there,” Stark said as his 49ers teammates laughed.

Bosa was asked about his display of support for Trump during his postgame press conference. But rather than using the platform to further endorse the Republican nominee, the 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year only offered a vague message.

“I’m not gonna talk too much about it,” Bosa said. “But I think it’s an important time.”

As one might imagine, Bosa’s public endorsement of Trump elicited quite the reaction on social media, with many noting the irony of the support it received from the “shut up and dribble” crowd. Some also drew parallels to a former 49ers player whose public political statements seemingly ended his playing career — a fate the four-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher surely won’t suffer.

Bosa’s support of Trump has been well documented dating back to the 2016 election, when the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native was a freshman at Ohio State. His political support even became a storyline leading up to the 2019 NFL Draft, as it became clear that he was likely to land in San Francisco, a city well known for its liberal leanings.

For most of his NFL career, Bosa has largely remained politically silent, although his public backing of Trump has ramped up in recent months. This, however, marked one of his most explicit — and controversial — displays of support yet.

[Sunday Night Football]

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

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