No, the Bengals' Joe Burrow isn't MAGA like friend Nick Bosa, but there are questions

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, just several days after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, posted a heartfelt message on social media. It was powerful and to the point.

"The Black community needs our help," Burrow wrote. "They have been unheard for far too long. Open your ears, listen, and speak. This isn’t politics. This is human rights."

Several years later, in June of 2022, following the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, and the state of Ohio enacting a six-week abortion ban, Burrow showed his support for women on his Instagram Story.

"I'm not pro-murdering babies," he posted. "I'm pro-Becky who found at her 20-week anatomy scan that the infant she had been so excited to bring into this world had developed without life-sustaining organs."

"I'm pro-Susan who was sexually assaulted on her way home from work, only to come to the horrific realization that her assailant planted his seed in her when she got a positive pregnancy test result a month later."

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The post continued with other scenarios. It ended with this: "You can argue and say that I'm pro-choice all you want, but the truth is: I'm pro-life. Their lives. Women's lives."

That is who Burrow really is. I also don't think he's a phony who posted those things for clout. He seems to be a thoughtful and kind person who cares about the world around him.

So what do we make of what we saw on Saturday at UFC 299 where Burrow and friend Nick Bosa, who plays for San Francisco, were spotted greeting and chatting with former President Donald Trump?

Bosa is hardcore MAGA but as far as we know Burrow isn't. Burrow hanging with Bosa and chatting with Trump seems to run counter to the thoughtful Burrow we've seen multiple times and know him to be.

But Mike, he can hang with whomever the hell he wants. Shut up.

This is true but his friendship with Bosa is hard to reconcile. Maybe Burrow has decided he likes Bosa personally but maybe hates his politics. It's hard to tell. What's certain is that Burrow and Bosa have been friends for years. Burrow spent three years at Ohio State before transferring to LSU and Bosa was of course in Columbus then as well. Bosa spoke about the their friendship in 2021.

"We just spent a lot of time together that second year and became friends, then he left and I got drafted," Bosa said then. "We both had success, and that kind of brings you together too as friends. When you’re both on the same path, similar path...Yeah, he’s a good friend of mine..."

Burrow has to know what Bosa believes and I have to think at least a part of him is bothered by it. Before being drafted in 2019, Bosa praised Trump, and called Colin Kaepernick, a hero to numerous NFL players, particularly Black players, and many others outside of football, "a clown." Then, in the weeks leading up to the draft, Bosa deleted many of those social media posts, and toned down his rhetoric. Bosa should believe what he does and stick with that conviction but he didn't because, as he said in an interview with ESPN: "I had to. There is a chance I might end up in San Francisco."

Bosa has since shed his MAGA shyness and, again, he can do what he wants, but it's Burrow who is the interesting part of this story.

Not sure what you expect Burrow to do in that situation? Just ignore Trump? The former President? Again, shut up, Mike.

Do I expect Burrow to not introduce himself to Trump? Well, actually yeah, I do. Trump is the antithesis to Burrow's stated beliefs. Burrow spoke of the cruelty that ensued against women after the overturning of Roe. Trump was the catalyst for that reversal. Burrow asked the country to see Black Americans as human beings and wanted us to be heard. Trump is...how do I put this ... not in the same universe with that belief.

Burrow in that moment needs to show respect for the office of the Presidency. Shut. Up. Mike.

The office, yes. But not Trump. He tried to overthrow the government. He didn't show the respect for the office so why should Burrow show respect for him?

Burrow can do what he wants, vote for whom he wants, support whom he wants. Be friends with whom he wants. Not saying otherwise.

It's just that Burrow always seems like he's above the ugliness and sees the humanness. I still think that's true but there's also got to be a part of Burrow, the part who spoke on behalf of women, the part who supported Black lives, which must be saying, when it comes to Bosa: yuck.