Colin Kaepernick’s Mom Wanted Him to Date Taylor Swift
Kaepernick's mom encouraged him to date Taylor Swift, but he declined, citing she wasn't his type. The memoir also reveals his mother's differing views on his relationships.
Black News 
Long before Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce became one of the most talked-about celebrity couples, Swift was apparently being considered as a potential match for another famous athlete.
Colin Kaepernick says his mother, Tessa Kaepernick, once encouraged him to ask Swift out while he was playing in the NFL.
Text “RICKEY” to 71007 to join the Rickey Smiley Morning Show mobile club for exclusive news. (Terms and conditions).
The 38-year-old former quarterback makes the surprising revelation in his new memoir, Perilous Fight, published Tuesday. According to Kaepernick, his mother believed he and the pop star would be a great match.
“When I was in the NFL, she told me that I should ask out Taylor Swift (long before Travis Kelce made his move) because we would be perfect together,” Kaepernick wrote.
Kaepernick made it clear that his comment was not intended as an insult toward Swift. He simply said she was “not my type.”
The exact timing of his mother’s suggestion is unclear, but Kaepernick played for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 through 2016. At that point, Swift was already a major star, but her relationship with Kelce was still years away.
Kaepernick’s personal life also looked very different by the time he left the NFL. He was in a relationship with radio personality Nessa Diab, and the couple welcomed a child in 2022. Diab later revealed in 2025 that she and Kaepernick had actually married years earlier.
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE.
Swift began dating Kelce in 2023. The couple became engaged in 2025 and married in July 2026.
But the Taylor Swift story is only part of what Kaepernick reveals about his relationship with his mother. In his memoir, he connects her comments about Swift to a larger feeling that she was not always able to understand who he really was.
He recalls another moment from his childhood involving two classmates. Kaepernick said his mother encouraged him to take a white classmate named Lindsay to a school dance. Their photo was then displayed prominently in the home.
Later, when he attended homecoming with a Black classmate named Crystal, Kaepernick said his mother treated the experience differently. He claims she placed their official portrait in a drawer instead of displaying it.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR APP AND TAKE US WITH YOU ANYWHERE!
“When I got the official portrait from that night, featuring me and Crystal posed in that classic, airbrushed frame, my mother hid it away in the back of a drawer,” Kaepernick wrote. “In her mind, Crystal was just a phase. Lindsay was the kind of girl I should want.”
The memories offer a more personal look at Kaepernick’s childhood and the experiences that influenced him long before his NFL career and his decision to kneel during the national anthem.
Related Article: Colin Kaepernick Funds Independent Autopsy For Trey Reed
Related Article: Colin Kaepernick To Be Honored With Muhammad Ali Award
Now, years after leaving football, Kaepernick says he still keeps his cleats nearby. Asked recently about a possible NFL comeback, he joked, “We got the cleats by the door. We’ll be out the door.”
He also said he believes he could still compete with plenty of current quarterbacks, although he admitted he has not been closely watching games.
HEAD BACK TO THE RICKEYSMILEYMORNINGSHOW.COM HOMEPAGE
