Nick Bosa backed by Trump on Twitter after addressing Kaepernick clown tweet
President Trump offered support to Nick Bosa on Saturday morning, hours after the San Francisco 49ers’ top draft pick addressed scrutiny over past social media posts, including those supporting Trump and criticizing former quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
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. Big Talent! San Francisco will embrace you but most importantly, always stay true to yourself. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 27, 2019Bosa, selected second overall by the 49ers on Thursday night, was asked during his introductory news conference Friday about his previous use of social media, including an August 2016 tweet in which he wrote, “Kaepernick is a clown.”
“I definitely made some insensitive decisions throughout my life,” said Bosa, who deleted several of his posts leading up to the NFL draft. “I’m just excited to be here with a clean slate. I’m sorry if I hurt anybody. I definitely didn’t intend for that to be the case. But I think me being here is even better for me as a person, because I don’t think there’s anywhere, any city, that would help you grow as much as this one will.”
Attended Nick Bosa's SF media gaggle today. Had a chance to ask him about his controversial social-media posts, including the one in which he called Colin Kaepernick a clown. After being drafted No. 2 overall Thursday night, he said some of his comments were insensitive. ...
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) April 26, 2019I asked if he could understand why some would find them offensive: "Yeah. I definitely made some insensitive decisions throughout my life. I’m just excited to be here. It’s a clean slate. I’m sorry if I hurt anybody. I definitely didn’t intend for that to be the case." (cont)
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) April 26, 2019Bosa denied that the “clown” tweet was referencing Kaepernick’s decision to raise the awareness of racial inequality in the country.
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“No, it wasn’t directed towards that,” Bosa said, when asked about the “clown” tweet. “It’s not like I’m saying his stance and what he was doing. That’s not what I was calling or talking about at all. It’s just me — a specific thing that happened — and, me as a young kid [with] a thought popping into my head and, boom, decided to tweet it out. Bad decision. I mean, I respect what he’s done. If it empowers anybody, then he’s doing a good thing. I apologize for that.”
The 21-year-old didn’t elaborate on what the thought was that prompted the since-deleted tweet.
You can watch Bosa’s news conference below. (His comments about Twitter start about four minutes into the video.)
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