Colin Kaepernick, who has nearly 1.3 million followers on Instagram and 755,000 Twitter followers, deleted and then apologized Tuesday for a social media post that trivialized the deadly floods in the Houston area, much of Texas and Oklahoma.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who uses the hashtag #7stormsComing to purportedly warn opponents and observers alike of his improved game, initially sent an Instagram post that made light of the storms and floodwaters causing havoc and loss of life.
Kaepernick did delete the post shortly thereafter, and issued an initial apology.
No disrespect intended! Prayers up!
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) May 26, 2015
Kaepernick, a frequent user of social media, continued to post to Instagram, sending a bare-chested photo of himself two minutes later sans the #7tormsComing hashtag. Two hours later, Kaepernick returned to issue a stronger apology and a less trivial response about the situation in Houston.
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) May 26, 2015
Several fatalities have been reported and more than a dozen people are still missing after weekend storms damaged hundreds of homes, stranded motorists and kept several fans inside Toyota Center after the Rockets’ Game 4 win in the Western Conference finals on Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.