Colin Kaepernick: 49ers Quarterback Tackles Online ‘Clown’ With Twitter Body Slam
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has at least one fewer fan today after he delivered a harsh Twitter smackdown to one follower who made what in retrospect seems like a halfhearted attempt to troll the 27-year-old star.
A Twitter user named Stephen Batten, who goes by the Twitter user name @battman_returns, took note of a tweet that Kaepernick posted Wednesday, in which the 49ers second-round draft pick in 2011 gave a few details of his day, including his workout routine.
1000 abs…. arm workout….. 10 min straight on the jump rope…. 2 hour study session in February….. that’s what we call a recovery day!
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) February 18, 2015
Batten was not impressed, and given that he applied the hashtag #study, seemed to miss the part of the tweet in which Kaepernick said he’d undertaken a “2 hour study session in February.” Here was how the self-described “battman” took it upon himself to respond to Colin Kaepernick.
@Kaepernick7 @49ers ab workout won’t help find open receiver #study — stephen batten (@battman_returns) February 18, 2015
If Batten’s intention was to get under Kaepernick’s skin, he apparently got the job done, because it took the quarterback all of three minutes to slap back with this Twitter smackdown.
@battman_returns are you illiterate or just ignorant? Read the tweet again better yet give me your breakdown of every defensive coverage
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) February 18, 2015
But Kaepernick wasn’t finished just yet. Just a minute later, he posted another tweet, slamming the football knowledge of his online “fan.”
@battman_returns I want every players responsibility on every coverage if you can’t do it mind your damn business clown! — Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) February 18, 2015
As Kaepernick is undoubtedly aware, very few football fans, or anyone who is not involved in football on a professional level, would be able to break down “every defensive coverage,” or list “every player’s responsibility on every coverage.” In fact, some pro football players themselves are probably unable to accomplish that task.
A popular, if probably inaccurate and unfair, characterization of Kaepernick would say that he is, in fact, one of those NFL players — no one questions how hard he works on developing his physique, but, the stereotypical view says, Kaepernick comes up short when it comes to the finer points of the game’s technicalities.
The quarterback is apparently sensitive to that derogatory view of his mental effort. Because it appears that spent another 12 minutes stewing over Batten’s insult — then fired one final blast. And that last shot was the most stinging and personal yet.
@battman_returns you got 8 followers bruh your own family don’t even want to know what you doin! Get better at life!
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) February 18, 2015
While questioning the man’s life skills and family attachments might have been a bit of a low blow on the part of the quarterback with the $126 million, six-year contract extension — $61 million of which is guaranteed — he actually did a favor to his Twitter tormenter.
While Batten may have had only eight followers on Wednesday, by Friday afternoon, this particular online adversary of Colin Kaepernick had seen his Twitter follower total swell to nearly 3,000.
[Images: Bob Levey/Getty Images]
