The San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa is not very active on social media. His X account had not been used for years. That was until he returned this week. It was because of the abrupt firing of Ryan Clark from ESPN amid a new wave of layoffs. Although others responded with empathy, Bosa’s reaction was very… different.

“👌,” Bosa posted on X.

That reaction has its roots in NFL history. In 2024, Clark called out Bosa on his podcast, claiming that the criticism that Bosa was getting for wearing the MAGA hat was nothing compared to the criticism that Colin Kaepernick and LeBron James received for expressing their political views.

The incident itself took place after the Niners defeated the Cowboys in the 2024 season when Bosa came to his post-game interview and simply pointed to his MAGA hat. Bosa never explained his actions, though the NFL fined him $11,255.

The video of him wearing the hat had gained popularity quickly enough, and the response was definitely divided along political lines, with many of the strongest supporters being those who criticized Kaepernick and James for doing the opposite. But Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who once told LeBron James to “shut up and dribble,” stayed quiet this time.

Ryan Clark didn’t let that slide. He took to X and laid out exactly what he thought was going on.

“The ‘Shut up & dribble’ mob hasn’t attacked Nick Bosa the way they did @Kaepernick7 & @KingJames when politics were brought into sports. @nbsmallerbear MAGA allegiance is no secret, & no one really cares. Still, it’s apparent that crashing an interview with a MAGA hat was received differently than black athletes standing up for equality,” Clark posted on X in 2024.

“Like never before, Partisanship now divides our country, & it’s clear where the ‘Great Again’ following stands. Any intentional, public, & flippant display of MAGA support is only done with reason. Especially for an athlete. It’s funny, yet not surprising, that the ‘shut up’ crowd has been silent. Guess it’s easier to deal with someone who thinks exactly like you.”

That post came out in 2024, but it’s clear Bosa never forgot it.

All about Ryan Clark’s firing

Clark found out live, in the middle of taping NFL Live on Monday, and he didn’t stick around to finish the broadcast. According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, ESPN had actually planned to deliver the news on Tuesday morning. But once media inquiries started rolling in, the network got worried Clark might see the story break online before anyone at ESPN had told him directly.

That said, Clark gave his side of the story.

“I wasn’t forced? I ask, ‘Should I be done now?’ The answer was, ‘Yes,’ he posted on X.

Clark had been at the network for over a decade. He came on board with ESPN as an analyst in 2015, and he was recently signed to a deal in February 2024 that paid him over two million dollars per year. But leaving ESPN means that he will be back to square one.

Clark hosts a personal podcast called The Pivot. This podcast will go on despite whatever ESPN does going forward.

Still, one moment from last year seemed to chip away at his standing at the network. During a Get Up segment last September breaking down the Cowboys’ season opener and the performances of CeeDee Lamb and A.J. Brown, Clark told Peter Schrager, “That’s the non-player in you,” after Schrager pushed back in Lamb’s defense.

But none of this goes anywhere towards explaining why he was fired, and it seems like there is some kind of general downsizing going on at ESPN. However, for Nick Bosa, the reasons didn’t even matter. He had history with Clark himself, and he was not afraid to show that with an okay hand emoji.