By James  Nye A white sports columnist is facing outrage after he compared the tattooed quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers to the residents of San Quentin state prison. Sporting News writer David Whitley has been labeled a racist by some for his sweeping generalisations after he penned an article that bemoaned the amount of tattoos that 25-year-old Colin Kaepernick had on his body. Claiming that the position of quarterback is hallowed and Kaepernick's body art brings it down in tone, Whitley said that because of his tattoos, the 49ers player can never be a legitimate hero. But he later defended himself against accusations of racism, saying: 'If they were old enough to read, my two adopted African-American daughters would certainly be disappointed to find out I'm a racist.'
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David Whitley sparks massive by comparing San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's tattoos to those of prison inmates
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Says the starting quarterback cannot be a role model because of tattoos
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Defends himself against racism accusation saying he has two adopted black daughters
'As a sports editor who also happens to be @placeholder, it is my job to vet each and every opinion piece to ensure that the message does not get lost and I certainly could have done more, in retrospect, to make sure it did not.'