San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has a lot of tattoos, and like most fans of body art, it’s a never ending process. I’ve never gotten a tattoo, but everyone I know who has (including both of my sisters) couldn’t wait to get their next tattoos before the first ones fully healed.
Kaepernick is way ahead of most (including my siblings) on the tattoo front, as you can see in his latest progress shot on his new tattoo.
I’m not exactly a tattoo guy, mostly because I can’t think of anything I’d want on my body for the rest of my life … but this is a pretty interesting piece.
Many of Kaepernick’s tattoos have a religious side, as he explained to Peter King a year ago.
“My first one,” he said, “was Psalms 18:39.” The scroll coming down his right shoulder quotes the Bible verse: “You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me.” Ever since, he says, “It’s been a constant working piece.
“To me it’s just another way to be different and try to separate myself as my own man. If I get judged for something like my tattoos, so be it. I was talking to a few of the Rams players [this offseason]. One of their defensive linemen told me, ‘I love the fact that you started kissing your tattoos because of someone writing an article, basically showing everybody that you have tattoos and you’re still a good person. I have tattoos and I get judged for them. You’re really helping me change the perspective of tattoos.’”
This latest one seems to be blending Kaepernick’s spiritual side with a recent life-changing experience, one he hopes doesn’t change who he is at his core. Kaepernick signed a contract extension through 2020 that could pay him as much as $126 million. But if his latest tattoo is any indication, he’s focused on not letting the money change him. Or, he’s cognizant of the “evil” that follows a big payday.
How much do you think a tattoo like this costs? If anyone in the comments has any ideas, I’d be interested. I’m kind of out of my element when it comes to this stuff, to the point where I’m always pretty surprised when my friends tell me how much they paid to get their pieces worked on (sometimes for multiple sessions that last several hours).
Also, I couldn’t imagine getting my side tattooed for hours. I’m ticklish enough as it is. If I was to get one, I’d probably have to go with a butterfly on my lower back. Or barbed wire around my bicep. Juuuuuust kidding — disregard this entire paragraph. Please?
