Former San Francisco 49er and original anthem-protester Colin Kaepernick said on a recent podcast that he and his girlfriend do not celebrate Christmas.
Katrina B, who co-hosts the Nessa Off Air podcast with Kaepernick’s longtime girlfriend Nessa Diad, asked the former QB what he planned to get Diab for Christmas.
Kaepernick said, “We don’t celebrate Christmas.”
Diab sought to explain the situation further, “No, I’ll tell you what. We don’t give each other gifts. I think for Colin and I, we just enjoy really great experiences with each other year-round,” she said.
Colin Kaepernick (L) and Nessa attend the Netflix Limited Series Colin In Black And White Special Screening at The Whitby Hotel on October 26, 2021, in New York City. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Netflix)
It probably shouldn’t be surprising that the couple wouldn’t celebrate Christmas. As Kaepernick said in 2016, soon after beginning his anthem protests as rumors that he had converted to Islam swirled, his girlfriend is a Muslim.
“This is an open discussion that I have with many people, not just my woman. She is Muslim, her family is Muslim, I have great respect for them. I have great respect for people’s right to believe what they want to believe. And I don’t think anybody should be prosecuted or judged based on what their beliefs are.”
For his part, Kaepernick denied that his girlfriend had converted him to Islam and labeled the rumor “Islamophobia.”
Colin Kaepernick #7 and Eric Reid #35 of the San Francisco 49ers kneel in protest during the national anthem prior to playing the Los Angeles Rams in their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on September 12, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
It’s odd, with Diab being a known Muslim with a strong Muslim family, that Katrina B would even ask Kaepernick that question. Nonetheless, he answered it.
Katrina B continued, “If that’s the energy you guys are on, and you guys both understand it, I think it’s fine,” Kratina said. “And if someone wants to go the extra mile and give a gift, that’s cool too. But you shouldn’t feel bad if you didn’t give them anything.
“So we’re not going presents with our significant others. You don’t do that. I actually don’t do that. We(Katrina B is in a relationship with DJ Tone Def) don’t even celebrate anniversaries. We don’t do any of it.”
Colin Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the end of the 2016 season. He remains a Nike client, author, producer, and outspoken social justice activist.