Colin Kaepernick raised eyebrows -- and the ire of more than a few San Francisco 49ers fans -- when a photo surfaced of the quarterback wearing a Miami Dolphins cap at a Fourth of July party.
Kaepernick doubled down in the face of criticism, saying he'll wear what he wants, while giving unlikely life to the #y'allmustbebored hashtag.
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Kaepernick might learn the criticism of his fashion choices extends beyond social media circles when he arrives at Niners training camp this month. Teammate NaVorro Bowman didn't sugarcoat it when asked about hatgate during a Tuesday appearance on NFL Network's "NFL Total Access."
"This is a huge mistake by Kaep," Bowman said. "I'm sure he understands that now. In his defense, we're young, in our era these days we like to match our snapbacks with our outfits."
"The hats now these days are very important to the outfit, so Kaep I understand what you did, but let's stay away from the NFL teams," he added. "Stick to NBA, go to college or the baseball hats."
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith -- also on the "Total Access" set -- agreed with Bowman's sentiment.
"That's the rule for the most part, to stay out of conversations like this," Smith said. "You stick to baseball or hockey or whatever."
On a related subject, Bowman was asked about recent comments by Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who said he's an Atlanta Falcons fan for all but two days a year.
"There's no excuse for that one, man," Bowman said. "A fan? These players are trying to take your head off and you're a fan? Nah, you can't do that."
We couldn't agree more.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.