Colin Rand Kaepernick better known Colin Kaepernick is a former quarterback of American football (National Football League’s San Francisco 49ers) who became famous for protesting against the injustice and racism against African-American by kneeling and refusing to stand for U.S National Anthem played prior to the beginning of the game on the ground.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder”
He is known to have received all his High School Honors as a baseball pitcher and even received several scholarship offers in that sport but he wanted to play college football, and thus, opted Football. He is a die-hard tattoo lover and has multiple inks on his body. His great faith in God has led him to get most of his body tattoos representing his faith.
“I think God guides me through every day and helps me take the right steps and has helped me to get to where I’m at
Kaepernick told former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner in an interview, “[The tattoos are] just my way of showing everybody that this is what I believe in.”
1. ‘The battle scene between Angels and Demons’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There exists a huge ink covering the whole of Colin’s back. It reflects the battle scene between the Angels and Demons.
Meaning: Kaepernick is known to like the depiction of the opposite forces such as enemies in the field or the good and bad. The massive tattoo was done by the tattoo artist Andrion who took 16½ hours to complete the ink. More specifically the tattoo is the representation of the war between the two teams on the football team and the emotional turmoil of life off the field.
2. ‘Against All Odds’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Colin has got the words, “Against All Odds” inked across his chest.
Meaning: The tattoo”Against All Odds” depict “Inner Strength, Spiritual growth, and Humility”. The tattoo was done by the tattoo artist Orly Locquiao, from San Jose. Colin got the extension done to his previous ink by getting the whole of his chest covered by Tribal Design surrounding “Against All Odds” tattoos.
3. ‘FAITH’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Colin has ‘FAITH’ inked on his right bicep.
Meaning: This tattoo denotes his strong belief in God for everything. During “Kaepernicking” Kaepernick kisses his FAITH tattoo in a celebration. Kaepernicking involves flexing and kissing one’s bicep in tribute to player Colin Kaepernick’s signature victory pose.
“Number one, it’s my way of saying I don’t really care what people think about my tattoos,” he said of the gesture. “God has brought me this far. He has laid out a phenomenal path for me. And I can’t do anything but thank him.”
4. ‘The Bible verse Psalm 18:39’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Colin has got a verse from the Bible – Psalm 18:39 inked in the form of a scroll on his right shoulder. The scripture is written out on a scroll which reads: “You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.”
Meaning: This was Kaepernick’s first tattoo which he got at the age of 25 years as a sophomore at the University of Nevada. This is another representation of his strong belief in God. The verse describes the strength of facing enemies without fear and having faith in God for he subdues your enemies under your feet if you are armed with confidence during a war.
“Basically, it’s saying the Lord is giving me all the tools to be successful, I just have to go out and do my part to uphold that.”
Kaepernick dished. “Basically, it’s saying the Lord is giving me all the tools to be successful, I just have to go out and do my part to uphold that.”
5. ‘The Bible verse Psalm 27:3’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his left bicep, Kaepernick has the Bible Verse Psalm 27:3 inked, which says, “Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.” The verse describes facing enemies without fear and having confidence in God at a time of war.
Meaning: Both the psalms on Colin’s arms’ represent his Competitive Instincts. This verse describes that “My heart will not be afraid, if a war breaks out against me or I get surrounded by enemies, I shall still remain confident. Though an army encamps around me, my heart shall not fear.”
6. ‘Two hands clasped in prayer with the words’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Colin Kaepernick has another ink on his right below his bible verse scroll on his right bicep which contains the folding hands along with the words “to God the glory”. It was inked by the tattoo artist, ‘Nes Andrion’.
8. “My Gift is My Curse” Tattoo
Tattoo: The insides of Colin’s both biceps contain the ink which includes the words, “My Gift,” and “Is My Curse.” on the right and left biceps respectively. The tattoo was inked by the artist Nes Andrion of Reno.
Colin says that the tattoo denotes the fact that, “Being an NFL quarterback, there’s a lot of advantages that come with it. There are a lot of doors that open when you’re a quarterback, but at the same time you’re under a lot of scrutiny. There are a lot of things you can’t do as well.”
9. ‘Christian Cross’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his left bicep exists a huge tattoo of a cross which contains the words ‘Heaven Sent’ written on the banner passing through the cross. This is the strong depiction of his belief and love for his religion and God.
10. ‘GOD WILL GUIDE ME’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his left upper arm towards his shoulder lies the tattoo which includes the words, ‘GOD WILL GUIDE ME’. The words ‘GOD WILL’ are tattooed above the cross wheres ‘GUIDE ME’ are inked below the cross.
11. ‘Money is the Root of All Evil’ Tattoo
Tattoo: To the left side of his torso lies a tattoo which is known to be the representation of the biblical passage Timothy 6:10. The tattoo was designed and inked by tattoo artist Carlos Torres
Meaning: The huge tattoo is the reference to the biblical passage, which reads: “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” It shows the whole imagery from the ‘story of the Garden of Eden’. A serpent is wrapped around the hand which holds an apple, and the hand can be seen rising towards the tree. The cash is seen on the tree as well as encircling the arm.
12. ‘Kappa Alpha Psi’ Tattoo
On the right side of his body, there exists a huge tattoo which is known to be another representation of some Bible Verse.
13. ‘RESPECT’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the extreme right of his right upper arm, Colin has a tattoo which contains the word ‘RESPECT’.
