The Kaepernick fashion debacle

[Qwiz]

It was being talked about here on Boston sports radio ad nauseum. Kaep's name was the one they said the NFL is looking into. Don't believe it is a formal investigation of any sort but more information seeking. At this point the NFL needs to get a handle on the gang culture. AH was a BIG eye opener.

But back to topic. I think Kaep would be wise to apologize to the niners fanbase. If anything he came off as insensitive for wearing the hat and like a spoiled brat in his defensive comments. It would do a world a good and help this go away faster.

Hernandez's teammates knew he was a bad guy. We haven't heard anything of the sort from Kaep's teammates. In fact we have heard the opposite. He shouldn't apologize for anything. If people apologized everytime someone took offense to something they did we would all be apologizing every second of every day.

[amfootball]

Mike Sando and Jaws offer some sage advice in this article to Colin and think gets at what Southwest and I have been saying, http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/103251/putting-a-cap-on-49ers-mad-hatter-chatter

[amfootball]

Hernandez's teammates knew he was a bad guy. We haven't heard anything of the sort from Kaep's teammates. In fact we have heard the opposite. He shouldn't apologize for anything. If people apologized everytime someone took offense to something they did we would all be apologizing every second of every day.

It is laughable that now Pats teammates are saying he is a bad guy. Branch said he was a great friend of his so I would not put too much stock in former players opinions. There was not a peep out of AH for three years and just this week Kraft said he agreed to more frequent drug testing to show the Pats he was serious about football. His case is a scary one as the Pats don't offer million dollar contracts to just anyone. Kraft said they were duped and need to re-evaluate their program. And that also means the NFL needs to look at who they let into the draft too.

 

In terms of Kaep, he needs to apologize for his comments that were down right rude toward the niner fanbase. Fans are allowed to be upset when they see their QB in another team's hate. He has to be smarter and the more he acts like a spolied brat the worse the story is going to get and the worse the media will trail his every move. I am just speaking from a PR perspective here not a personal one.

[Jason_]

It was being talked about here on Boston sports radio ad nauseum. Kaep's name was the one they said the NFL is looking into. Don't believe it is a formal investigation of any sort but more information seeking. At this point the NFL needs to get a handle on the gang culture. AH was a BIG eye opener.

 

But back to topic. I think Kaep would be wise to apologize to the niners fanbase. If anything he came off as insensitive for wearing the hat and like a spoiled brat in his defensive comments. It would do a world a good and help this go away faster.

\

I don't think he came off like a spoiled brat at all.  To the contrary, he came off as a guy who was going to stand up for himself and not bow to ridiculous public pressure over something that shouldn't matter at all.

 

If anyone comes off as whiny spoiled brats, is those members of the fan base who are butt hurt over something as trivial as this.  

[amfootball]

\

I don't think he came off like a spoiled brat at all.  To the contrary, he came off as a guy who was going to stand up for himself and not bow to ridiculous public pressure over something that shouldn't matter at all.

 

If anyone comes off as whiny spoiled brats, is those members of the fan base who are butt hurt over something as trivial as this.  

I don't disagree but those butt hurt fans are paying his salary and they have a right to their feelings. Honestly, he needs to be smarter and bigger than this. All he had to say was I grew up loving the Dolphins and wore the hat. I play for the niners and will play my butt off this season. Instead he came off as "I will do whatever I want so deal."  Just terrible from the franchise QB ...

[Qwiz]

I don't disagree but those butt hurt fans are paying his salary and they have a right to their feelings. Honestly, he needs to be smarter and bigger than this. All he had to say was I grew up loving the Dolphins and wore the hat. I play for the niners and will play my butt off this season. Instead he came off as "I will do whatever I want so deal."  Just terrible from the franchise QB ...

If they rub some dirt in it they'll be alright. ;)

[Jason_]

I don't disagree but those butt hurt fans are paying his salary and they have a right to their feelings. Honestly, he needs to be smarter and bigger than this. All he had to say was I grew up loving the Dolphins and wore the hat. I play for the niners and will play my butt off this season. Instead he came off as "I will do whatever I want so deal."  Just terrible from the franchise QB ...

 

So the fans have a right to their feelings but CK does not?  And yeah the fan base is paying his salary, but that's the entire fan base.  Oh and by the way, the fan base isn't going to go away.  Maybe a few people get offended over something stupid like this and leave but others will invariably take their place.  Heck, he may have brought in new fans by standing up for himself the way he did.  

 

The bottom line though is that people, in general, can be very fickle.  The people who are upset about this right now will forget all about it in a couple of weeks, and especially by the time the season starts.  If they keep winning games then no one will remember that he wore another team's hat way back at a beach party on the 4th of july.  The people who are all in a huff over this need to get over themselves.  They were offended...that sucks.  They voiced their opinions, which is their right.  Now let it go.  If your QB wearing a hat you don't like is the worst of your problems then you are extremely lucky.  

 

Even if CK apologizes, if the team starts losing then fans and the media will bring this back up.  Apologizing won't make it go away, it'll just provide a band-aid that will only last until the team goes into a slump.

[amfootball]

So the fans have a right to their feelings but CK does not?  And yeah the fan base is paying his salary, but that's the entire fan base.  Oh and by the way, the fan base isn't going to go away.  Maybe a few people get offended over something stupid like this and leave but others will invariably take their place.  Heck, he may have brought in new fans by standing up for himself the way he did.  

 

The bottom line though is that people, in general, can be very fickle.  The people who are upset about this right now will forget all about it in a couple of weeks, and especially by the time the season starts.  If they keep winning games then no one will remember that he wore another team's hat way back at a beach party on the 4th of july.  The people who are all in a huff over this need to get over themselves.  They were offended...that sucks.  They voiced their opinions, which is their right.  Now let it go.  If your QB wearing a hat you don't like is the worst of your problems then you are extremely lucky.  

What if the niners play the dolphins in the super bowl?

[Jason_]

What if the niners play the dolphins in the super bowl?

 

the universe would open up and swallow not only Kaepernick, but the rest of the 49ers organization for not properly dealing with this atrocity and nipping it in the bud.  the Dolphins would become not only the only team to have a perfect season but also the only team to win a superbowl by forfeit.  All gambling establishments in the country would be burned to the ground.

[amfootball]

the universe would open up and swallow not only Kaepernick, but the rest of the 49ers organization for not properly dealing with this atrocity and nipping it in the bud.  the Dolphins would become not only the only team to have a perfect season but also the only team to win a superbowl by forfeit.  All gambling establishments in the country would be burned to the ground.

My thoughts exactly which is why Kaep should not have worn that darn hat ...

[Jason_]

My thoughts exactly which is why Kaep should not have worn that darn hat ...

 

So Colin should apologize to the rest of the 49ers organization for possibly cursing them to their doom.  No need to apologize to the fans then because they're not in any danger. ;)

[Jules]

[southwest1]

Well fortunately I don't post on commission so what you buy and don't buy does not affect my bottom line. ;)  (come on that was witty )  Seriously though, what's really funny is that to a large degree we actually are in agreement.  I never once said that CK should do anything that goes against the wishes of the 49er mgmt or coaches.  In fact to the contrary, I have stated numerous times that if they have a problem with him then yes he should absolutely do as they ask.  

 

I brought up the clauses for the simple fact that no, they do not have the authority to tell him what to do during the offseason in regards to anything that's not specifically written into his contract.  They can tell him whatever they want but they have no authority to enforce unless it's in writing somewhere.  Their only other recourse would be to cut him if he continually does things that they do not approve of and they could claim conduct detrimental to the team.  But honestly, do you really think they would cut him over him wearing another team's hat to a private party on the 4th of July?  I don't. 

 

I brought up the media in response to whoever mentioned earlier in the thread that CK was bringing unnecessary drama to the team.  His actions would bring about questions from the media to both him, his teammates and coaches.  I was responding to how I would personally handle that but I don't recall if it was you who brought that up or someone else and I really don't feel like going back at the moment to find out.

 

But back to the main point, yes when my boss says jump I say how high...while I'm actually on the job, on company property and on company time.  If my boss tells me what kind of apparel to wear to a party that has nothing to do with the company then I would have a discussion with him about why that is not his concern.  It's not like CK wore the dolphins hat to a public appearance, to the 49ers stadium or any other team facility.  I have in fact only found 2 pictures...one that appears to be him in a parking lot and the other is on the beach.  He wore this to a gathering that had nothing to do with the NFL, the 49ers organization or even football in general.  If he had worn this hat to an official team outing then yeah I could see that being a bigger deal.  If the response he made was to the 49ers organization and not to the general public then yeah I would say that's definitely a problem.  None of those things are the case though.  

 

To be perfectly honest, I could easily see CK in Harbaugh's office having a good laugh over all this.  This actually seems very Harbaugh-ish imo.  However I fully concede that Harbaugh could also be furious over the incident.  I have no way of knowing, just like you don't, without actually being in the room or unless a team spokesman at some point makes an official comment.

 

I also don't see this having any effect whatsoever on merchandise sales.  Once the season gets into full swing, I don't see people refusing to buy merchandise because CK wore a dolphins hat to a beach party way back on the 4th of July.  

Yes Jason your first line was very funny. Bravo sir! The 49ers are a multi-million dollar corporation perhaps even billion dollar corporation. The 49ers logo & colors are a trademark of the owner & CK as the franchise starting QB is like the primary ambassador of that wealthy corporation. Again, when a boss is paying you a lucrative salary personally from his bank account, your self expression disappears completely in the realm of professional football.

 

Let's say you work for IBM as a computer engineer. Now, you can buy Apple iMAC computers with your job income to have inside of your home, but you better not attend an Apple convention in silicon valley & sing the praises of iMAC computers before a wide audience that goes viral on the world wide web, especially if you won a lucrative award as Chief IBM designer for a new software application that sold like hotcakes & made Microsoft a financial killing last year. I doubt that you would be fired Jason, but your boss would call you into his/her office & have a long private chat with you about who you work for & what to shy away from regarding IBM's competitors in the software & computer public relations world from an annual, fiscal bottom line IMO. 

[Jason_]

Yes Jason your first line was very funny. Bravo sir! The 49ers are a multi-million dollar corporation perhaps even billion dollar corporation. The 49ers logo & colors are a trademark of the owner & CK as the franchise starting QB is like the primary ambassador of that wealthy corporation. Again, when a boss is paying you a lucrative salary personally from his bank account, your self expression disappears completely in the realm of professional football.

 

Let's say you work for IBM as a computer engineer. Now, you can buy Apple iMAC computers with your job income to have inside of your home, but you better not attend an Apple convention in silicon valley & sing the praises of iMAC computers before a wide audience that goes viral on the world wide web, especially if you won a lucrative award as Chief IBM designer for a new software application that sold like hotcakes & made Microsoft a financial killing last year. I doubt that you would be fired Jason, but your boss would call you into his/her office & have a long private chat with you about who you work for & what to shy away from regarding IBM's competitors in the software & computer public relations world from an annual, fiscal bottom line IMO. 

 

 

The scenario you described is a great deal more egregious than CK getting caught by some johnny shutterbug at a private gathering.  Granted that private gathering was on public property but still, it wasn't a convention or anything like that.  Maybe the guy in your scenario should have just been caught in a photograph using an apple laptop in a public coffee shop.  but I digress....  lol

[ReMeDy]

 

Ahh I forgot about his nudeness. I cant get it out of my mind!

[amfootball]

The scenario you described is a great deal more egregious than CK getting caught by some johnny shutterbug at a private gathering.  Granted that private gathering was on public property but still, it wasn't a convention or anything like that.  Maybe the guy in your scenario should have just been caught in a photograph using an apple laptop in a public coffee shop.  but I digress....  lol

I too think the analogy is not quite right. It would have to be one of the high ranking execs at IBM with the Apple computer. That is more of a fair comparison. Right now Kaep is the Qb of the niners therefore he is the face of the franchise and its defacto leader. But as I said before, it he just wore the hat and then when he was asked about it just said something like, "Hey I grew loving the fins. I just threw the hat on for a party." That would have made this all go away. But his response was "I will do what I want when I want so deal."  That is the more egregious part IMO.

 

BTW, thank you for the chance to use the word "egregious." I just love it and it is not often easy to get it into a post ... lol.

[IndianaJones]

 If i were the niners owner,he would face a million dollar fine,which must be distributed to local charities throughout the bay area.What he did was insult the city and the people of the bay area.Or i would simply waive or trade him(i would do this to any player regardless of talent).

[BOTT]

If i were the niners owner,he would face a million dollar fine,which must be distributed to local charities throughout the bay area.What he did was insult the city and the people of the bay area.Or i would simply waive or trade him(i would do this to any player regardless of talent).

That's a little extreme. I would send him 100 49ers caps hoping he would take the hint.

[IndianaJones]

That's a little extreme. I would send him 100 49ers caps hoping he would take the hint.

 

 

 

I wonder how people would feel,if andrew(not saying he would) did this to us?I would be crushed and my opinion of him would most certainly change.

[Qwiz]

I wonder how people would feel,if andrew(not saying he would) did this to us?I would be crushed and my opinion of him would most certainly change.

It's nothing to get angry about, and certainly shouldn't change your opinion about any player. 12 could wear a Saint hat and you would think this somehow Saints his loyalty to the team he plays for? I still don't get the logic involved with this.

[IndianaJones]

It's nothing to get angry about, and certainly shouldn't change your opinion about any player. 12 could wear a Saint hat and you would think this somehow Saints his loyalty to the team he plays for? I still don't get the logic involved with this.

 

 

Because its the principle that's involved.He's paid millions of dollars to represent a franchise,an entire city and its people.In my opinion,its like saying you're not good enough for him.Its just something that rubs me the wrong way.If kaep regresses(i didn't think he was all that great to begin with) this year,then expect some serious backlash from this little stunt.He really shot himself in the foot,with this.

[Qwiz]

Because its the principle that's involved.He's paid millions of dollars to represent a franchise,an entire city and its people.In my opinion,its like saying you're not good enough for him.Its just something that rubs me the wrong way.If kaep regresses(i didn't think he was all that great to begin with) this year,then expect some serious backlash from this little stunt.He really shot himself in the foot,with this.

I get paid to represent my job but that doesn't mean I don't like other retail places that sell the same stuff mine sells either. He might have been a Dolphin fan since childhood, maybe his adoptive parents are Dolphin fans, etc. I just think it would be mighty selfish of the fanbase to assume that their QB cannot like other teams as well.

[IndianaJones]

I get paid to represent my job but that doesn't mean I don't like other retail places that sell the same stuff mine sells either. He might have been a Dolphin fan since childhood, maybe his adoptive parents are Dolphin fans, etc. I just think it would be mighty selfish of the fanbase to assume that their QB cannot like other teams as well.

 

 

If its a totally different sport,then i wouldn't care(even dwight freeney often wore NEW YORK GEAR),but football is a big no no.I would be seriously ticked,if one of our guys wore another team's cap.

[Qwiz]

If its a totally different sport,then i wouldn't care(even dwight freeney often wore NEW YORK GEAR),but football is a big no no.I would be seriously ticked,if one of our guys wore another team's cap.

I don't see a problem with it. But it doesn't matter. This is old news lol.

[Jason_]

I too think the analogy is not quite right. It would have to be one of the high ranking execs at IBM with the Apple computer. That is more of a fair comparison. Right now Kaep is the Qb of the niners therefore he is the face of the franchise and its defacto leader. But as I said before, it he just wore the hat and then when he was asked about it just said something like, "Hey I grew loving the fins. I just threw the hat on for a party." That would have made this all go away. But his response was "I will do what I want when I want so deal."  That is the more egregious part IMO.

 

BTW, thank you for the chance to use the word "egregious." I just love it and it is not often easy to get it into a post ... lol.

 

And that's where we differ.  I have no problem with what he said.  What he said was absolutely true.  Fans don't need to worry about what he's wearing at a private gathering in the offseason.  They need to worry about what he does in OTA's, training camp, practice, film study, on the field etc.  

 

But as qwizboy said, this is old news.  Hey, at least CK wasn't wearing a "Free Hernandez" hat ;)