Colin Kaepernick took a bold stance during his career that received a lot of support but also came with plenty of backlash. In response to the police brutality occurring regularly at the time, he chose to kneel during the national anthem before games instead of standing with a hand over his heart. It ultimately led to him being blackballed by the league for standing up for the cause.
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Although he never officially announced his retirement, Kaepernick has been a free agent since 2017. In 2015, he began dating on-air personality Nessa Diab. And in 2022, the two welcomed their daughter into the world, without revealing her name.
But why did Kaepernick and Diab never share their child’s name? Because of Colin’s polarizing image, the two decided it was best to keep her identity private. They even take measures to avoid including her in pictures with strangers.
“I don’t know how I would feel if our daughter was in a play with other children and one of the parents just started posting videos and pictures of all the kids who are a part of the play. I didn’t give you consent. If you’re uploading it, blur out the other kids’ photos. Take the time to put an emoji over their face,” Nessa shared on Nessa Off Air.
It was more of a general rule of thumb for all parents, but Nessa seemingly wanted the parents her daughter goes to school with to know the ground rules. After all, as a Black Lives Matter activist, you never want to give the wrong people any more information than they should have access to.
It’s not just about people recording her daughter without permission. Nessa believes it’s also morally wrong to condition her child to accept that kind of exposure. She doesn’t want to normalize being recorded or put on display, especially when the child can’t fully understand or consent.
“I think there’s another layer to why I really don’t like it, it’s that our kids don’t have [the ability to give] consent [yet]. They might not want to be in this world that we’re in. I think they should decide whether or not they want to be in the public eye,” Nessa explained.
It’s a good thing to keep in mind. Maybe Kaepernick’s daughter doesn’t want to be a celebrity. It’s a title that comes with a lot of caveats. Normal things like going to the store or walking the dog become an entire ordeal.
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So, if you ever see Kaepernick and Nessa out in public with their daughter, remain respectful of their space and don’t take photos of the family without their consent. In this day and age, where photos and media get passed around like food at a dinner table, it’s important to be mindful of what you post online.
