Nick Bosa reacts to Ryan Clark layoff with one spicy emoji
Nick Bosa posted an OK-hand emoji after Ryan Clark’s reported ESPN layoff, reviving their 2024 clash over Bosa’s MAGA hat.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Nick Bosa and Ryan Clark are back in the same online sentence after the San Francisco 49ers star posted a single OK-hand emoji in response to a report about the Nick Bosa Ryan Clark layoff drama, according to TMZ.
TMZ reported that Bosa, who had not tweeted in four years, used the emoji Thursday night after news surfaced earlier in the week that Clark had been laid off from ESPN. Bosa did not add any written comment to the post, according to the outlet.
The tiny reaction carried a lot of baggage because Clark publicly criticized Bosa in October 2024 after the pass rusher appeared in a white “Make America Great Again” hat during a postgame TV segment.
Why did Nick Bosa react to Ryan Clark's layoff?
The backstory starts with a “Sunday Night Football” interview after a 49ers game. According to TMZ, Bosa entered the broadcast shot while teammates Brock Purdy, George Kittle and Isaac Guerendo were being interviewed by NBC’s Melissa Stark, and he was wearing the MAGA hat.
Clark later discussed the moment on “The Pivot,” where he argued Bosa was treated differently from athletes such as Colin Kaepernick, who faced fierce backlash after expressing his views, TMZ reported.
Clark also said it was “weird” to look back at Bosa’s past tweets, claiming the posts included pushback on “the culture,” according to TMZ. In the same discussion, Clark said, “The MAGA movement has been very clear that all lives don't matter the same.”
Clark went on to claim that “shut up and dribble” is used only against people speaking up for minorities, TMZ reported. He also said Bosa’s hat signaled that the NFL star had chosen a side, one Clark described as not supporting equal treatment for all people.
What happened after the MAGA hat moment?
Bosa did not elaborate at the time on why he wore the hat, according to TMZ. The outlet reported that he was later fined $11,000 for the incident.
The new emoji response has now sent fans back to that old clash. TMZ reported that some users on X noted the OK-hand sign is sometimes viewed as a white power symbol, and some argued Bosa’s choice may have carried a double meaning because of the earlier dispute with Clark.
Bosa has not publicly expanded on the emoji in the reporting cited by TMZ. Clark’s reported ESPN departure, meanwhile, has already drawn attention of its own after TMZ previously reported that Clark clarified his ESPN exit and said he was told to leave a broadcast.
For now, the public record is short and very online: one emoji from Bosa, one old MAGA-hat controversy, and a sports-media feud that just got dragged back under the lights.
This story draws on original reporting from TMZ.