Article defaming Nick Bosa over MAGA hat ‘watered down’ by major media outlets, author says.

NFL columnist Jim Trotter wrote a column criticizing NFL star and San Francisco 49ers Nick Bosa for wearing a MAGA hat on live TV after his team beat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. However, he says his column did not hit Bosa the way he wanted.

Trotter wrote that the published version of his column was a “watered-down” version, saying that his original draft did not meet the journalistic standards of the New York Times-owned sports newspaper, The Athletic.

“Full disclosure, this is an abridged version of the original column. I wasn’t allowed to properly, IMO, include the context of the moment’s significance and impact because, I was told, I would be violating the NYT’s journalistic standards. Regarding sports and political commentary but that’s a discussion for another day,” Trotter wrote in response to a post on X that shared his column.

Trotter later corrected himself.

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“Correction: I should have referred to it as a violation of The Athletic’s journalistic standards and not the NYT’s journalistic standards,” Trotter wrote.

The published version of Trotter’s column included several passages criticizing Bosa, and the writer suggested that Bosa should face discipline for the incident.

“Many were unable to focus on this message because of the messenger, my hope is that they do not make the same mistake as Bosa. his actions. His personal beliefs his personal beliefs. But if the NFL’s intent is to ban political speech on its fields, Bosa should face some form of discipline,” another verse said.

Rule 5, Section 4, Article 8 of the NFL rulebook states, “The league shall not permit any club or player to wear, display, or convey messages, through the use of helmet decals, armbands, jersey patches, -mouthpieces, or other items attached to game uniforms or equipment, related to political activities or causes, other non-football events, causes or campaigns, causes or charitable campaigns.”

A LOOK OF NICK BOSA’S DRESS FIRST DROPPED ON SOCIAL MEDIA FEED ‘SNF’, THE PIECE WAS POSTED AFTER FAN FLASH.

In another episode, Trotter said he would have “a lot more respect” for Bosa if the defensive back spoke more about his beliefs after the game.

“As for Bosa, I would respect him more if he put 10 toes down on his beliefs. During his postgame press conference, he literally switched hats and refused to discuss his performance,” Trotter wrote.

Nevertheless, the column acknowledged that Bosa is entitled to his beliefs.

Fox News Digital reached out to The New York Times for comment but did not receive a response by press time.

A statement from The Athletic provided by Awful Announcing said, “New York Times standards did not play a role in this process. The story went through the normal editorial process at The Athletic. We do not publicly discuss our editorial decisions.”

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa speaks at a news conference after the game against the Dallas Cowboys in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

Bosa’s MAGA helmet incident has become a hot topic after his team’s win over the Cowboys on Sunday night. The stunt was also thought to be screened by NBC, the network responsible for airing the game.

Witnesses said they saw an edited version of the postgame interview on NBC’s social media that edited Bosa without the clip. However, the unedited version featuring Bosa is the most recent video posted by the NBC handle.

It was not the first time Bosa went public with his support for Trump. He revealed in 2019 that he deleted his X account of Trump posts and criticism of Colin Kaepernick out of fear that he might not be fully accepted by the city of San Francisco if he was drafted by the 49ers.

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Bosa was then asked about his decision to send a political message to the stadium on Sunday night, but he declined to elaborate.

“I won’t talk too much about it, but it’s an important moment,” Bosa said at the post-match press conference.

Longtime sportscaster Bomani Jones challenged Bosa to “speak up.”

Jones noted that Bosa made the decision to show his support for a political candidate in a public forum.

San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa celebrates as he leaves the field after a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Oct. 27, 2024. (Photos by Kelley L Cox/Imagn)

“Someone asked him about it in the press conference after the game. I mean, he was looking for Trump. What do you mean you’re not going to talk about it, mate? You made that call; you did it. You brought us here and you decided you wanted to put it out there, and it’s time,” Jones said on a recent episode of “The Right Time with Bomani Jones.”

“Now, for me, the question I have to ask is why is it an important moment? Because I don’t know that guy.”

Former Chicago Bears player Brian Urlacher expressed his support for Bosa. He commented on Bosa’s Instagram post, where the 49ers defensive end posted photos, including one in which he showed off a pro-Trump hat.

“MAGA,” Urlacher wrote in the comments section, along with two American flags.

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