If Colin Kaepernick’s denial held any weight at all, that quickly vanished Tuesday.
During a Week 2 matchup with the Chicago Bears, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback was assessed a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after supposedly using inappropriate language while trash-talking with Bears defensive end Lamarr Houston.
Kaepernick told reporters after the game that he “didn’t say anything,” to which referee Laird Hayes, who threw the flag, responded a day later, “he knew what he said.”
The Chicago Tribune decided to go straight to the source after the Bears’ win over the New York Jets on Monday Night Football, and as you might expect, Houston’s response didn’t favor Kaepernick.
“He was just using inappropriate language,” Houston told the Tribune, adding that the Niners’ quarterback cursed at him and used the N-word.
Houston admitted that he had goaded Kaepernick during the play, yelling “nice pass” after Kaepernick’s pass was intercepted by defensive back Kyle Fuller. When asked if he was offended by Kaepernick’s racial slur, Houston simply responded that it’s a “cultural thing.”
Kaepernick, who threw three interceptions in his team’s 28-20 loss, was fined $11,025 for the incident.
Photo via Ed Szczepanski/USA TODAY Sports Images
