The Shady Side Of Nick Bosa
Nick Bosa has football in his DNA. The son of former Miami Dolphins defensive end John Bosa and brother of Los Angeles Chargers star defensive end Joey Bosa, Nick committed to Ohio State as a five-star recruit in 2015 and instantly became one of the best players in college football. Before a bilateral core muscle injury cut his junior and final season, Bosa was a force off the edge, racking up 17.5 sacks and 29 tackles for loss – cementing him as a top-tier pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Bosa's signing with the San Francisco 49ers was surreal. "There's moments when emotions get you, like when I get to my afterparty and was hanging out with all my friends and family," He said at his inaugural press conference."That's when...it sinks in."
Not only does he have a devastating pass rush, but Bosa set tongues wagging off the field when he modeled for Kim Kardashian's clothing brand SKIMS in October 2023. He was hailed for being a feast for the eyes just as he was criticized for his past takes on X (formerly Twitter). With a slew of strong opinions and his ability to throw shade, Bosa rubbed some people the wrong way. Whether you love him or loathe him, let's huddle up and take a look at the more controversial side of Nick Bosa.
His politics have become a hot topic
Nick Bosa was not coy about his love for Donald Trump in a 2016 interview with VIP Television. Not one to go with the public's general dislike of what Trump stands for, the pass rusher said he was intrigued by the ex-POTUS' aura. His opinion was that Trump's presence in the then-presidential race was a breath of fresh air and incomparable to past contenders for the top job.
In 2017, Bosa reposted a tweet from the Trump administration's official X (formerly Twitter) account with the quote, "Love this man." In addition to the post, Bosa shared a snap of himself giving a thumbs-up pose while standing next to a life-sized Donald Trump cardboard cutout.
The online relationship between the duo was not one-sided. When Bosa got signed by the San Francisco 49ers, Trump joined the long list of people who applauded him. "Congratulations to Nick Bosa on being picked number two in the NFL Draft. You will be a great player for years to come, maybe one of the best," the former POTUS wrote."Big Talent! San Francisco will embrace you but most importantly, always stay true to yourself. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN."
Who doesn't like Beyoncé?
Considering her iconic 2016 album "Lemonade," the "Homecoming" documentary detailing her legendary Coachella performance, and the groundbreaking "Renaissance" tour, Beyoncé is among the biggest musical stars on the planet. However, her 2016 Super Bowl halftime performance drew criticism from some media outlets and personalities who believed it was an attack on police.
Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani thought it was appalling, and didn't hesitate to voice his opinion in a conversation with Fox News (via Billboard). During the height of that controversy, Nick Bosa tweeted: "Beyoncés music is complete trash" and gave a nod to a reply that read, "her and her husband are trash." He later deleted that message, but it's safe to assume the Beyhive doesn't purchase any Bosa jerseys
In an April 2016 discussion on X (formerly Twitter), Bosa wrote "worst song I've ever heard I think" while replying to a tweet that referenced "Lemonade," even though the singer doesn't have a track named "Lemonade. "Why, then, does he have a lot of hatred for the 28-time Grammy Award winner? Speaking to VIP TV, Bosa said, "I don't like the fact that she has to make everything such a big political statement."
He called Colin Kaepernick a 'clown'
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick set off a political firestorm in 2016 over his decision to not stand during the national anthem in protest to draw attention to social justice and racial inequality issues. "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick said (via NFL.com). "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder." The following year, Kaepernick became a free agent and was not signed by another team.
How did Nick Bosa react to this? In a now-deleted tweet from 2016, he wrote, "Kaepernick is a clown." Bosa didn't elaborate, but we assume he didn't mean Kaepernick makes balloon animals at children's birthday parties. He later looked back at the moment during his introductory NFL press conference where he danced to another tune: Bosa explained that he wasn't against what Kaepernick represented, but made a spur-of-the-moment choice as a youngster which he deeply regretted. "I respect what he's done," he said of Kaepernick. "If it empowers anybody then he's doing a good thing. So ... I apologize for that."
Kaepernick reached a financial settlement agreement with the NFL in February 2019 after he filed a grievance accusing owners of colluding to keep him out of the league due to his political beliefs.
He thinks Black Panther is the worst
2018 was the year of "Black Panther." Grossing more than $1 billion worldwide and becoming the first superhero movie nominated for a best picture Oscar, "Black Panther" was a cultural phenomenon. Nick Bosa must be a DC guy because, in yet another now-deleted tweet, he called it the "worst marvel movie of all time." Now, you can watch all the Marvel movies and objectively know that's not true, but we assume Bosa has his reasons.
Needless to say, others on social media had a thing or two to say about it. User @dallasbhinson replied to Bosa's tweet: "Can't wait until next year in the draft [when] everyone is asking why Nick is falling and people can refer back to these unnecessary hot takes..smh," to which Bosa shot back: "Because movie opinions effect [sic] draft stock." The back and forth continued, with Bosa's critic tweeting: "Commenting on the only black marvel movie does..foolio..ur opinion on it is not that important that u need to tweet about the ONLY black marvel movie." Bosa also made at least one notable new fan on X (formerly Twitter), conservative talking head Tomi Lahren.
While he may not like "Black Panther," Bosa does value some creative works. In a chat with the 49ers, he revealed that he's a reader, and books that he endorses include "Trust" by Pulitzer Prize winner Hernan Diaz, Alex Michaelides' "The Silent Patient," and "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles.
His reason for deleting his old tweets was suspect
In 2019, Nick Bosa scrubbed all those incriminating tweets he'd made in the past. The reason, he said, had everything to do with his football career. "I had to," Bosa told ESPN ahead of his life-changing shot ."There is a chance I might end up in San Francisco." Some critics believed that the erasure proved that Bosa's opinions weren't as solid as they seemed.
The San Francisco 49ers, on the other hand, didn't read too much into them. When asked about Bosa's social media activity, 49ers General Manager John Lynch downplayed the controversy. "We try to be as thorough in the process as we can," Lynch said (via NBC Sports). "That is something we look at it. We also look at what kind of teammate is he. What do his teammates think about him?"
Had football not worked out, Bosa was looking at a budding acting career, having played a minor role in the "Game of Thrones" finale. And if that hadn't been a success either, he would have gotten into the culinary world, as his teammate Chase Young opined in their joint interview with the 49ers.
Nick Bosa apologized and focused on football
In an interview with USA Today Sports a day before the 2019 draft, Nick Bosa said his sports agent was responsible for the cleaning of his X (formerly Twitter) account. "It's not like I told them to take anything down," he revealed."They just went through and cleared out whatever. Anything that would cause controversy." When asked about the backlash surrounding the removal of his tweets, Nick replied, "I don't know why people care about that so much, but I'm just getting ready for tomorrow. I'm excited.", At the time, X (formerly Twitter) was the furthest thing from his mind.
When his first press conference came around a few days later, Nick was ready to make amends. He offered an apology for his shortcomings, saying, "I definitely made some insensitive decisions throughout my life and I'm just excited to be here with a clean slate. I'm sorry if I hurt anybody."
Earlier that month, his older brother, Joey Bosa wanted everyone to know that they didn't need to worry about any distractions going forward, per ESPN. "He's so laser-focused right now, it's unbelievable," Joey told ESPN's Kevin Van Valkenburg. "He understands the opportunity in front of him. He just needs to put all he has into this moment right now, which is what he's doing, and it's going to pay off for him." True to Joey's word, Nick has worked his way into becoming the NFL's most bankable defensive player, per ESPN.
He was slammed for liking discriminatory posts on social media
Back in 2015, Nick Bosa liked several tweets that included the mention of an unpopular racial slur."Still f***ing with the same ni***s," one tweet read, while another, said, "UMF F*** N****S." That same year. Bosa liked a tweet that accused the media of relaying the wrong information when it came to the arrests of black versus white offenders. A long-running reproval would haunt him well into his NFL career.
With the same breath, his ex-girlfriend Jenna Berman came under fire in 2021 for using the N-word in tweets made between 2013 and 2014. Berman, who broke up with Bosa back in 2022 via TikTok, wrote in one tweet, "I swear to you I'm a n****r magnet." Berman further used a homophobic slur in many tweet replies, including one which called former boy band and "What Makes You Beautiful" hitmakers One Direction "a bunch of f**s"
Did he have a longstanding beef with Baker Mayfield?
To football fans, Nick Bosa and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had a longstanding rivalry that dated way back to their college days when they played for the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oklahoma Sooners respectively. In 2017, Mayfield planted the Sooners' flag in the middle of the Buckeyes' field while celebrating a win. He later said he was sorry in a chat with the press.
"It was an emotional game," Mayfield voiced (via ESPN), "So, after the game, it did not mean for it to be disrespectful towards any Ohio State people at all, especially not the team or the players because they're a great team in a great program." The act, he said, was something that ought to have stayed in the locker room since it was custom at The University of Oklahoma.
Despite his apology, Mayfield had made an enemy out of Bosa, who would get his payback in the NFL. When the San Francisco 49ers played against the Cleveland Browns in the 2019 season, Bosa sacked Mayfield and proceeded to fake plant a flag. "I was kinda trying to talk. I don't usually talk, but this game ... he had it coming," Bosa said in a postgame locker room interview. Time passed, and the pass rusher revealed that he wasn't sour in another locker room conversation with the press. He was apparently just being playful and there was no bile between them in the first place.