2013 NFL Off-Season Thread

[Gothamite]

Anybody else reminded of this?

[Kevin W.]

That picture doesn't surprise me since Brady is a colossal douche.

[Kramerica Industries]

I'm not, because it's not even close to the same thing.

A football player wearing a baseball cap isn't the same thing as a football player wearing another team's football cap. Besides, if you really wanted to drive a point home here, it would've been a pic of Lebron wearing a Yankees hat during the 2007 ALDS between the Yankees and Indians.

[Gothamite]

I didn't want to drive home any point. The hubbub just reminded me of the earlier kerfluffle.

[Cujo]

Anybody else reminded of this?

I never knew Brady was a Red Sock.

[Kramerica Industries]

I didn't want to drive home any point. The hubbub just reminded me of the earlier kerfluffle.

Eh. Truthfully, I had completely forgotten this had ever even happened. The only reason people would even care is because of the Boston/New York dynamic, but, again, different sports, and as long as Brady is throwing for 4,500 yards, 35 TDs and the Patriots are winning 13 games a season, which has pretty much been the case over the past many years, then I don't think anyone could care.

And even though I don't agree with Kaep on this one, mainly on the basis that I don't agree with repping gear of a rival organization inside the same league, this will also be a completely forgotten event if he has another solid season and the Niners make another deep playoff run.

--

I know I don't need to explain this to you or to most people here, but, well, it's the off-season. The media will do anything it can to drum up headlines about marquee players.

[DDR]

In my mind, there's no question he shouldn't have worn the hat of any other NFL team but this seems like a slap-on-the-wrist "just don't do it again, kid" kind of offense (though Jim Harbaugh is kind of a psycho, so who knows). There's also no question, in my mind, that he looks like a rat and appears to be a mega d-bag.

[pcgd]

I don't think he should get in trouble or anything but the fact that some of you (including him) don't think there is any issue is quite amazing to me.

It's not the end of the world and he should not even get a small fine, but show some respect to who writes your paycheck and your fans.

[The_Admiral]

Because he's wearing a Dolphins cap? Please. He can wear whatever he wants. This dumb picture created a pretty large amount of buzz on social networks, and Kaepernick responded to it pretty well IMO.

"Is this the hat y'all mad at? I'm gonna wear what I want regardless of what you think."

Pretty well put, IMO.

Now the hat says "I MAIM" before Dolphins. No, no, that's even worse!

[Lee Noire]

I don't think he should get in trouble or anything but the fact that some of you (including him) don't think there is any issue is quite amazing to me.

It's not the end of the world and he should not even get a small fine, but show some respect to who writes your paycheck and your fans.

I'd say he does a pretty good job of respecting the people that writes his paycheck. Works hard, keeps his nose clean, what more do you want? Now as far as respecting the fans? When they are this quick to turn on a guy for something so petty? Some fans don't deserve the respect they think they deserve.

When he is on the field he bleeds 49ers colors but off the field the kid can do what he wants. As long as he doesn't go Hernandez on us.

[HedleyLamarr]

I don't think he should get in trouble or anything but the fact that some of you (including him) don't think there is any issue is quite amazing to me.

It's not the end of the world and he should not even get a small fine, but show some respect to who writes your paycheck and your fans.

I'd say he does a pretty good job of respecting the people that writes his paycheck. Works hard, keeps his nose clean, what more do you want? Now as far as respecting the fans? When they are this quick to turn on a guy for something so petty? Some fans don't deserve the respect they think they deserve.

When he is on the field he bleeds 49ers colors but off the field the kid can do what he wants. As long as he doesn't go Hernandez on us.

Like I suggested to someone else....wear a rival company's apparel the next time you see your company's president/owner and see what response you get.

I don't think he'll get punished or should be punished, but I highly guarantee that the higher-up's with the 49ers will have a conversation with Kaepernick about making public displays with another team's gear. Rival or not, same league or different, all sports teams are in competition with each other in the business world.

[Hat Boy]

Like I suggested to someone else....wear a rival company's apparel the next time you see your company's president/owner and see what response you get.

Only Kaepernick isn't meeting with the 49ers team president--he is at the beach on his off time. Not a one-for-one scenario.

[DG_YouKnowWhatThatMeans]

Isn't it true that NFL merchandise sales benefit the NFL as a whole; that a purchase of a Cowboys hat counts the same as a Dolphins hat as a Jaguars hat?

I think Kaepernick's ultimate responsibility is to the NFLPA and NFL first, his individual team second. As we know, players can get cut just as easily as they can be signed. While the 49ers gave him opportunity last year, they can just as easily do to him what they did to Alex Smith.

[Billy B]

Like I suggested to someone else....wear a rival company's apparel the next time you see your company's president/owner and see what response you get.

Only Kaepernick isn't meeting with the 49ers team president--he is at the beach on his off time. Not a one-for-one scenario.

But he's a high profile, recognizable member of that organization. He knows that anywhere in public he goes there are going to be people watching him and taking pictures. I think it's pretty stupid that people think this is a big deal, but it's also pretty stupid for him to wear that hat in public. Even if he's only wearing it because the Dolphins colors match his shoes. He deserves a talking to about how wearing another NFL team's gear will upset some of their fans, that's all.

[dfwabel]

DG,

The NFL Constitution defines HMAs (Home Marketing Areas) for every franchise. Within the HMA, the individual team is able to keep all revenue from merchandise sales (Jerry Jones made sure of that starting in 1995). Team store sales are with the HMA and do not count to what the CBA calls AR (aka All Revenue).

The Green Bay Packers financial statement clearly defines what is what.

"NFL Properties" income is shared but what is "(Local) Marketing/Pro Shop" income which is not shared.

[Kramerica Industries]

I don't think he should get in trouble or anything but the fact that some of you (including him) don't think there is any issue is quite amazing to me.

It's not the end of the world and he should not even get a small fine, but show some respect to who writes your paycheck and your fans.

I'd say he does a pretty good job of respecting the people that writes his paycheck. Works hard, keeps his nose clean, what more do you want? Now as far as respecting the fans? When they are this quick to turn on a guy for something so petty? Some fans don't deserve the respect they think they deserve.

When he is on the field he bleeds 49ers colors but off the field the kid can do what he wants. As long as he doesn't go Hernandez on us.

Like I suggested to someone else....wear a rival company's apparel the next time you see your company's president/owner and see what response you get.

I don't think he'll get punished or should be punished, but I highly guarantee that the higher-up's with the 49ers will have a conversation with Kaepernick about making public displays with another team's gear. Rival or not, same league or different, all sports teams are in competition with each other in the business world.

I'll argue against that slightly. Call it "same market camaraderie" or whatever, but Alex Smith wore a Giants hat quite often in recent years. In the past, the Red Sox have put Bruins or Celtics logos on the wall behind home plate when either of those teams were in their respective leagues' championship series.

If this were a Marlins teal cap, no one would probably care. The biggest reason people care at all is because it's another NFL team.

[illwauk]

Would I be frustrated if I was a 49ers fan? Yes, but people are getting way too worked up about it. I believe someone here said "It's a ing hat"? And enough with saying a "rival" team's hat. It's the Dolphins. He plays for the 49ers. Is there any emotion one way or the other between the two? It's not a rival. They aren't in the same division, not to mention the same conference. If it was Seahawks hat, then he's probably being intentionally inflammatory... Actually, that makes me wonder. What would the response be if he was wearing a Russell Wilson Seahawks jersey? That I would just find funny.

Here's Warren Sapp getting off the plane for Super Bowl XXXVII, after the Bucs had just defeated the Eagles in the Championship Game.

[Gothamite]

Isn't it true that NFL merchandise sales benefit the NFL as a whole; that a purchase of a Cowboys hat counts the same as a Dolphins hat as a Jaguars hat?

Only online. Stadium and team store sales benefit the team.

I think Kaepernick's ultimate responsibility is to the NFLPA and NFL first, his individual team second. As we know, players can get cut just as easily as they can be signed. While the 49ers gave him opportunity last year, they can just as easily do to him what they did to Alex Smith.

Okay, this doesn't make any sense to me. If he doesn't have any obligations to the 49ers because of his contract, then why should he have any loyalty to either the NFLPA and NFL, the two entities who actually negotiated that contract? It's bizarre.

[pcgd]

I don't think he should get in trouble or anything but the fact that some of you (including him) don't think there is any issue is quite amazing to me.

It's not the end of the world and he should not even get a small fine, but show some respect to who writes your paycheck and your fans.

I'd say he does a pretty good job of respecting the people that writes his paycheck. Works hard, keeps his nose clean, what more do you want? Now as far as respecting the fans? When they are this quick to turn on a guy for something so petty? Some fans don't deserve the respect they think they deserve.

When he is on the field he bleeds 49ers colors but off the field the kid can do what he wants. As long as he doesn't go Hernandez on us.

Personally I'd want my employees not support the competition even if its just a hat. But to each their own.

I work for a apparel company, and I know if the CEO saw me playing golf wearing a competitors polo I'd be pretty embarrassed. It's my own time, and I'd never get fired, but at least want to show the appearance that I like the company I work for more than the competition.

[theSLVRBCK]

wow.....