(Bloomberg) -- In light of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the NFL sent a memo to teams reiterating its policy on not allowing personal messages, including political statements, to be displayed during game days, according to a memo reviewed by Bloomberg.
The requirement is part of a league rule that also bans references to non-football events and charitable causes that aren’t approved by the league. It covers when a player is visible to fans or a TV audience before, during and after a game. Infractions under this rule come with a fine of about $11,000 for the first offense.
A spokesperson for the NFL declined to comment.
The league just dealt with the political aspect of this rule, fining San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa last week for violating it when he displayed a Trump slogan during a post-game TV interview on Oct. 27.
The league had a run-in with Trump during his first term. In the midst of Colin Kaepernick sparking social justice protests throughout the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Trump told a rally of supporters that he wanted to see him lose his job while calling him a derogatory name.
Players, coaches and owners responded to Trump by kneeling, locking arms and some stayed in the locker room while the US national anthem played.
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