ESPN The Magazine has released four nude photographs of Colin Kaepernick, posing without even so much as a Miami Dolphins hat.
The revealing photos of Kaepernick, the Pitman High School graduate and quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, were taken for ESPN The Magazine's annual The Body Issue. The issue focuses on athlete's physiques and body issues.
Kaepernick said he hopes the photo shoot will help redefine how people think about quarterbacks.
“I'm not your typical quarterback,” Kaepernick told ESPN The Magazine. “I don't like when people say, 'Quarterbacks aren't supposed to run' or 'Quarterbacks aren't supposed to work out a certain way.' Quarterbacks can still have good bodies. I'm always conscious of the stereotype. I want to change what people think. There's a lot more to it than what you see on the field.”
Kaepernick is the cover athlete for this year's issue, posing entirely nude in a running position, holding a football. Three other photos taken on a rocky beach display Kaepernick nude in a sprinter's crouch, Kap's heavily tattooed back, and Kaepernick in a standing pose holding a football.
Kaepernick reposted the photos to his Instagram Tuesday morning, earning nearly 40,000 likes in less than 40 minutes.
The photos aren't the first of Kaepernick to make the rounds in recent days. Kap drew some heat from sports commentators earlier this week, after he was photographed wearing a Miami Dolphins cap.
A total of 20 professional athletes posed for this year's issue, including fellow 49er Vernon Davis, Miami Marlins standout Giancarlo Stanton, Denver Nuggets power forward Kenneth Faried, and golf legend Gary Player. The Body Issue has been published annually since 2009, with the 2013 edition hitting store shelves on July 12.
For more information on The Body Issue, and to see more photographs, visit http://espn.go.com/espn/bodyissue.
