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Former Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa was once outspoken on Twitter. Now he’s less so.

Bosa, who has praised President Trump and called Colin Kaepernick a “clown” in tweets that he later deleted, told Kevin Van Valkenburg of ESPN.com that he decided giving up his political tweeting was only practical because he might get drafted by the 49ers, who represent one of the most liberal cities in America.

“I had to,” Bosa said. “There is a chance I might end up in San Francisco.”

Bosa, of course, didn’t “have to” do anything. For an example of a player who chose to prioritize his freedom of expression over his NFL career, he need only look to Kaepernick, the so-called “clown” who isn’t in the NFL anymore because he kneeled during the national anthem. And Bosa certainly wouldn’t have suffered the same fate as Kaepernick — he’d get drafted no matter how much he tweeted about politics, although some teams might be weary of a player who would be polarizing with the fan base.

Not wanting to risk a backlash, Bosa is now keeping his political opinions to himself.