San Francisco 49ers: Collin Kaepernick Talks Tattoos and Meaning

Jan 11, 2013 05:10 PM EST
Kaepernick
49ers starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick sets up to throw a pass against the Seahawks during the first quarter of their NFL football game in Seattle, Washington
"

Don't know if you've noticed, but in the NFL, quarterbacks aren't known for having their arms covered in tattoos. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, 49er quarterback Collin Kaepernick has two half-sleeves of art rolling down both arms. 

What's the deal Kaepernick? He sat down with Kurt Warner to explain their significance. 

Kaepernick is not exactly Tim Tebow, but they do share one thing in common, they are men of faith. 

Though tattoos carry a negative stigma throughout some cultures, for Kaepernick, his tattoos are expressive and carry a special meaning. 

"All my tattoos have been something I've thought about at least a year in advance to make sure that it was something I really wanted, something that meant something to me moving forward. It's just my way of showing everybody that this is what I believe in." 

His first tattoo was of Psalm 18:39, let's look at the message in those scriptures. This is from the New International Translation of 1984, "You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet."  Hmmm, very appropriate for an NFL player. It makes a lot of sense and Kaepernick has had a lot of opponents bow down, the biggest one and scariest, coming against the New England Patriots. 

Allen Iverson was a guy in the NBA who suffered heavy criticism because he exposed his tattoos at a grand scale. Not only that, but he wore baggy shorts and brought cornrows into the game. 

In baseball, plenty of guys have tattoos, immediately Josh Hamilton comes to mind as one of the guys heavily tattooed in MLB. He hasn't had the easiest road in life, but he's definitely working on it. 

In the NFL, quarterbacks aren't known for rocking the ink on their arms. However, almost everybody else on the team (and even coach Rex Ryan) have tattoos on top of tattoos. 

Kaepernick is a fresh face with a fresh style in the NFL. 

Get the Most Popular Stories in a Weekly Newsletter
© 2015 Sportsworldreport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

  • Get Connected
  • Share
  • Like Us on Facebook
  • @sportswr
  • Recommend on Google
Real Time Analytics