San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman said new teammate Nick Bosa will be forgiven for his conservative social media posts, if he “can play.”
Bosa, the 49ers 2019 first-round pick, had some past tweets that some found offensive, including in 2016 when he called former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick “a clown” for kneeling during the Star-Spangled Banner. Also in 2016, he tweeted: “Beyoncés music is complete trash.” In 2018, he tweeted: “Black Panther worst Marvel movie of all time.”
But Sherman told the Sacramento Bee that as long as Bosa plays well, his past social media posts, which have been deleted, will be forgotten.
“One thing about football is that nobody really cares what you say if you can play,” Sherman said. “At the end of the day, I think a guy that has played with African Americans his whole life, not saying he can’t be racist, but they know how to maneuver around African Americans.”
Kaepernick started the anthem protest movement in the summer of 2016 as a member of these same 49ers, because, as he put it, “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 felt some police officers got away with murder after shooting unarmed black suspects.
“To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way,” Kaepernick said. “There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
Kaepernick, who is currently a free agent, wore socks to a 49ers practice in 2016 with police depicted as pigs. Bosa called Kaepernick “a clown” on Twitter in August, 2016, right after the quarterback began the anthem-kneeling movement.
Sherman supported Kaepernick’s cause, though he didn’t think kneeling during the anthem was the best approach.
“It’s because people aren’t even getting the point,” Sherman said. “He’s going out there and making a stand and you might as well be saying, ‘blah blah blah blah blah.’ Because people are just seeing you kneel during the national anthem, and they’re taking that and closing their ears. And that’s unfortunate. I think [Kaepernick’s] intent was pure. His heart was pure, he was trying to do the right thing. But in our society, you’ve got to find the right way to do the right thing so people don’t close their ears.”
If Bosa, a skillful pass rusher out of Ohio State, gets to the quarterback and compiles sacks, Sherman thinks he should be fine.
“It’s not like something where guys are like, ‘Hey man, what about what you said?’ No. No. If he can play, he can play. If he can’t play, he won’t be here,” Sherman said. “But at the end of the day, that’s all that matters in football. Is he getting sacks on Sunday? Is he helping our team? Is he being a good teammate? Those are things that matter. Now if he’s a bad teammate, that’s something we’ll address.”
It’s unclear what Sherman means by “bad teammate.”
Bosa also expressed support for President Donald J. Trump in the past. After Bosa was picked in the draft on April 27, Trump offered congratulations on Twitter:
“Big Talent! San Francisco will embrace you but most importantly, always stay true to yourself. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump tweeted.
In his introductory press conference in San Francisco after being drafted, Bosa was contrite about his past tweets.
“I definitely made some insensitive decisions throughout my life, and I’m just excited to be here with a clean slate,” Bosa said. “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 any city that you could really be in that would help you grow as much as this one will.
“I’m going to be surrounded by people, all different kinds, so I’m going to grow as a person and I’m going to be on my own. College, you have kind of like that support system around you. Now I’m here, I’m going to be on my own, I’m going to grow up, I’m going to learn a lot of new things.”
But Sherman thinks Bosa should be fine moving forward.
“I think, at the end of the day, your beliefs are your beliefs, but when you’re in the building and you’re a football player and you’re a teammate, you handle yourself accordingly,” Sherman said. “And I think he understands that.”
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