A California barbershop owner has apologized amid a public backlash for hanging a Colin Kaepernick doll by its neck in his shop.
The owner, who is known as “Bowtie Barber,” said that he did not intend to offend anyone, admitting, however, that it was “absolutely wrong” to have displayed the doll hanging on a noose from the ceiling.
"I literally had no idea that I was offending people," the owner said. "We have a hangman out here called George and so, you know, with the theme of Hangtown I hung him. And it was wrong, it was absolutely wrong.”
The barber said that the doll had been hanging there since 2016 – the year when the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback launched his kneeling protests.
"I am a die hard 49ers fan and when that action happened there was a lot portrayed on the 49ers and I took it personally," he added.
The owner of the shop was lambasted on social media after a customer posted an image of the doll, sparking outrage among internet users.
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The barber publicly acknowledged the wrongdoing and said that the controversial doll had been taken down.
"I’m publicly announcing that I apologize. It was the wrong thing for me to do," he said. "Absolutely will never happen again. I absolutely see the other side of it. I'm sorry."