NFL draft: Donald Trump praises 49ers draft pick Nick Bosa, who criticized Kaepernick
The San Francisco 49ers’ second overall pick in this year’s NFL draft has President Donald Trump’s seal of approval.
Early Saturday morning, Trump hopped on Twitter and sent former Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa words of encouragement following his selection by the 49ers on Thursday evening.
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, 2019
“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,” Trump tweeted. “Big Talent! San Francisco will embrace you but most importantly, always stay true to yourself. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
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The president offered zero congratulatory remarks for the No. 1 overall pick and the Arizona Cardinals’ new QB, former Oklahoma Sooner Kyler Murray.
Bosa famously called Colin Kaepernick a “clown” on Twitter in 2016, when the controversy surrounding the former quarterback’s decision to kneel during the national anthem began picking up steam. In his first remarks since joining his new team, Bosa said his past tweets were in poor taste.
“It wasn’t directed toward [Kaepernick’s stance],” Bosa said via NFL.com. “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 was just a specific thing that happened and me as a young kid a thought popping in my head and boom, decided to tweet it out. Bad decision. I respect what he's done. If it empowers anybody then he's doing a good thing. So, I apologize for that.”
The tweet in question, along with several other potentially controversial statements, were scrubbed from the 21-year-old’s social media accounts prior to the opening night of the draft.
Regarding his online activity moving forward, Bosa said he plans on considering the possible consequences of his comments before pushing send.
“I’ve learned a lot the past couple of months,” Bosa said. “I’m definitely going to think a lot more before I send something out.”
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