Earlier this week, the Sporting News' David Whitley, seemingly without provocation, went after 49ers starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick ... for having tattoos. "San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick is going to be a big-time NFL quarterback," Whitley wrote in a story published Wednesday. "That must make the guys in San Quentin happy. Approximately 98.7 percent of the inmates at California's state prison have tattoos. I don't know that as fact, but I've watched enough 'Lockup' to know it's close to accurate. "I'm also pretty sure less than 1.3 percent of NFL quarterbacks have tattoos," he continued. "There's a reason for that. NFL quarterback is the ultimate position of influence and responsibility. He is the CEO of a high-profile organization, and you don't want your CEO to look like he just got paroled." The internet's response -- from the comments on Whitley's original post, to Twitter, to the blogosphere -- was swift and severe. But the biggest indictment to quite possibly one of the laziest columns you'll ever read came from USA Today's Robert Klemko, who spoke with Kaepernick's parents about Whitley's piece, which was embarrassing enough on its own. "It annoyed me," Teresa Kaepernick, Colin's mother, told Klemko. "You are categorizing this kid on something like tattoos? Really? Saying other guys are role models because they don't have them? Really? Some of these other guys don't have crystal clear reputations. That's how you're going to define this kid? It's pretty irritating, but it is what it is." It gets worse: Kaepernick's tattoos contain Bible verses. Seriously, we can't make this stuff up. "Colin's a fairly religious kid, but he's not in your face about it," Kaepernick's father, Rick Kaepernick said. "It's more about him and what he believes. …Instead of saying that Colin does all these great things and donates his time to children, this guy is going to make him out like a gangster. Really? I guess you just have to roll with the punches." Source: CBS Sports
Having read the actual article on hand, as much as to an extent I agree with the writer being anti-tattoo (particularly when he states that "Your body is a temple, so why graffiti it?") and his accurate observation that the tattoo removal business in the future is going to be huge, the rest of the article has strong racial undertones and clearly comes across as the writer having issues that the "white position" is being invaded by black athletes. Particularly when he fails to draw attention to plenty of white non-QB's having some real awful visible tattoos.
However the writer has two adopted African American girls. I don't think he is racist I think he is a typical older guy who doesnt understand tattoos. My dad is the same way however he is not racist. Just old school.
Adopting 2 black girls does not somehow absolve you of being racist or allow you to make patently racist statements without fear of reprimand.
Why not? Being any color other than white and making racist statements gets you absolved in todays society pretty much. You can read the news or lack there of and see that! I don't think the writer is a racist. I'm not like 90 percent of America that loves to whip out that over-played race card. I think he's dated and needs to get with the times!
I didn't read the original Sporting News article...what's he say that is racist in that article? A QB as a CEO? There are plenty of CEO's out there with tattoos.
IMO, he's not being racist, just attempting to use the new hot topic in the news as a vehicle to gain attention as a writer. Not like he couldn't have commented on Kaepernick's tats when he was on the sidelines as a 2nd string QB except it wouldn't have put him in the spotlight as much as now. More like just a stupid, ill-conceived attempt at that...
i have read the portion of the article posted here and there is absolutely nothing racist in its' content. Not sure how race even came up in this convo. i don't see what the uproar is. there are many older people who do not like tattoos. apparently this writer is one of them. bfd