Next week, the NFL fined San Francisco 49ers star defensive end Nick Bosa ,$ 11, 255 , for displaying a” Make America Great Once” scarf when he crashed the halftime, on-field meeting of partner Brock Purdy after their Oct. 27 triumph over the Dallas Cowboys.  ,
The NFL has fined a club employee for making a right-wing declaration before in the past. In 2022, Washington Commanders Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio was  , fined ,$ 100, 000 because he referred to the mob at the Capitol on Jan. 6 as a “dustup”. Jan. 6 may not have been a “dustup”, but if an individual get fined$ 100, 000 because he mischaracterized it as such? Does the NFL still have no free talk provisions?  ,
Some people have compared Colin Kaepernick’s activities to those of former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who knelt during the National Anthem in opposition of the highly publicized authorities murders of black men that summer. In the various emotions to these two political feats, people on both sides claim that there is duplicity at play.
Bosa was criticized for his social speech, but Kaepernick was previously criticized for his political protest against the National Anthem, according to some. Kaepernick claimed that proprietors were conspiring to keep him out of the category, and the NFL paid him millions to settle the case. Others have accused NFL fans of being racists because of the shared outrage at Kaepernick’s social protest , before , the activity while remaining somewhat silent about Bosa’s social statement , after , the sport.  ,
Fans were outraged because of Kaepernick’s choice to make the speech, not because of the social message or the element of it. In order to advance his own political plan, Kaepernick chose to co-opt the National Anthem. Regardless of their political views, the National Anthem is supposed to be a time for everyone in the facility, both team, and every admirer to come along and unite as one as Americans.  ,
We must find common ground at this point, no what distinguishes us, so we must concentrate on what unites us. Even though we may become foes on the area, we are all Americans. That moment should n’t be taken advantage of for political purposes. The group looked the different way as a result of Kaepernick’s actions.
The NFL also is inconsistent when it criticizes Bosa for his political text, while promoting and allowing people to wear political messages on their helmets. Throughout the course of an NFL game, the viewers watching on TV does see , messages , like” Black Lives Matter”,” End Racism”,” State Their Stories”, or” It Takes All of Us” printed on the person’s masks. These messages have even been displayed for the first time by the NFL on the backs of the end zones. So it becomes very murky when the NFL fines Bosa for wearing a hat with a political message on it , after , the game when the NFL promotes political messages on helmets , during , the game.
The NFL does not want to remain apolitical; instead, it fully embraces the politics that take control of the nation every four years. Fans had to watch a lot of public service announcements in the weeks leading up to the election, where NFL players declared to their supporters that voting is their civic duty. In 2020, stadiums around the league in Seattle, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Charlotte, Detroit, Houston, and Philadelphia were used as voting centers for the presidential election. The league has no problem wading into politics, so why did it fine Bosa?
The rule that the league claims Bosa violated provides the solution to this discrepancy. Rule 5, section 4, article 8 of the NFL , rulebook , states:” 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 NFL wants to pretend to have free speech as long as it has been “approved in advance by the League office.” Controlled speech is not “free speech”. The NFL only wants to control how much of the players ‘ opinions can be expressed while allowing them to choose what and how to communicate them.  ,
