San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa posted on X for the first time in nearly four years to react to the firing of ESPN analyst Ryan Clark.
Bosa, 28, shared a link to The Athletic’s story about Clark’s firing earlier this week with a single emoji on Thursday, July 23: “👌”.
Fans immediately connected the celebratory post to an October 2024 clip of Clark, 46, criticizing Bosa for crashing an interview with 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy while wearing a Make America Great Again hat.
“When Nick Bosa shows up in a MAGA hat during Brock Purdy’s interview, he knows exactly what he’s doing,” Clark said on his “The Pivot” podcast at the time. “Never before has partisanship kind of divided the country in the way that it has. Since 2016, that’s been what it is.”
Clark added, “Nick Bosa understands that when you wear that hat, you take a side. You take a side of division in a sport that’s supposed to bring us together. I’m just waiting for all the people who comment under political and sports things to ‘shut up and dribble’ or to ‘shut up and play football’ to tell him to ‘shut up and rush.’ But they ain’t gonna say it because they feel the exact same way he do.”
Bosa was fined $11,255 for violating the NFL’s uniform and equipment rules for wearing a hat that contained a personal message.
“It was well worth it,” Bosa said at the time.
Clark, who had been with ESPN for more than a decade, was abruptly fired in the middle of a broadcast of NFL Live on Monday, July 20, as part of a sweeping round of layoffs by the media company.
Sources told The Athletic that Clark was told mid-broadcast about his termination “due to media inquiries into his departure and a fear that the news would leak out before they could inform him.” ESPN had reportedly intended to officially fire Clark on Tuesday, July 21.
“Sending prayers and love to all those laid off today by ESPN,” Clark posted via X on Tuesday. “So many of you have poured your life into that company, & I know how you’re feeling right now. My hope is as this door closes another opens for you all. God bless!”
Clark has been supported by many inside the football world since his firing, including Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, who liked Clark’s first Instagram post since his termination.
“Before the madness of yesterday, I woke up, got in my Tundra, drove to Planet Fitness, and got to work,” Clark wrote alongside a video of him at the gym. “The rest of the day was eventful, but the journey continues. My peace is with God, and my humility comes from within. I’ll continue to build myself so the world can never strip me of what’s real.”
