Who is Heidi Russo?

Born in the US in 1969, Heidi Russo is a nurse, but most famous as the biological mother of former National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, who is known for his career with the San Francisco 49ers. She became famous and controversial after trying to reconnect with her son after he became a famous American Football player.

The Wealth of Heidi Russo

As of mid 2020, Heidi Russo’s net worth is estimated to be over $100,000 earned through a successful career as a nurse.

She has worked as a nurse for most of her life and unlike many celebrity mothers, she does not receive any financial support from her son as the two are not closely related.

Adoption

Heidi became involved in a relationship with an African-American man during her teenage years and during that time she became pregnant. After learning she was pregnant, the man abandoned her and she had to carry the pregnancy alone. While her parents convinced her that they would support her as a mother, she did not feel she was ready and unable to provide for the child’s needs, so put the child up for adoption – he was adopted by Teresa and Rick Kaepernick, a couple who had lost children to heart defects, and would become Colin Kaepernick.

As the child grew, she kept in touch with the foster parents who consistently sent her pictures of her child, but due to unknown circumstances, they later lost contact. She continued her career as a nurse but did not bother to reconnect with her child who lived a happy life. Suddenly, during the beginning of Colin’s fame, the media got wind of her for trying to reconnect.

Controversies and Other Efforts

Once Colin became the 49ers’ quarterback, Russo made an effort to reunite with him, as she regretted not interacting with him growing up; she did not regret the adoption as she believes it was the right decision at the time.

Colin refused her advances because he didn’t want to betray the upbringing and love his foster parents gave him. She also received a lot of criticism from his fans who felt she was just trying to use Colin’s status and money. Despite being rejected several times, she continues to make an effort to reconnect, especially on social media. She had been criticized again after criticizing her son for his protest against racial inequality, kneeling during the national anthem before matches. Many criticized her for dealing with it publicly through social media, rather than in person.

Aside from her attempt to reconnect, she is part of a group called Connected by love which was created to help dispel stereotypes associated with mothers giving their children up for adoption.

She is also part of the Three Strands organization, which aims to help struggling mothers, as well as those who have just given their children up for adoption.

Son – Colin Kaepernick

Colin grew up as a foster son of the Kaepernicks, with two adopted siblings – the family moved to California, where he became interested in American Football. He played with a youth team and attended John H. Pitman High School where he established himself as a very athletic player and succeeded in several sports. After graduating from college, he received numerous offers to pursue professional baseball as he had earned numerous honors as a pitcher. He declined and chose to play American Football in college.

He enrolled at the University of Nevada, Reno, which had offered him a scholarship, and during his time at school helped to score numerous victories. He was still considering a career in professional baseball and was even drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2009, but chose to stay in college. He extended his senior year and broke numerous school records. In 2011, he entered the NFL Draft and was selected by the 49ers in the second round of the draft.

NFL Career and Life After – Colin Kaepernick

He spent most of his rookie season as a backup player; he scored his first touchdown in the league during his sophomore season, and was considered to start games for the 49ers, sparking some controversy.

He helped the team through the postseason and led them to their appearance in Super Bowl XLVII where they competed against the Baltimore Ravens but lost. He continued to excel over the next several years, leading to a six-year contract worth $126 million. He struggled in the 2015 season due to a new coach and expressed a desire to be traded. In 2016, his season was filled with multiple injuries, including a season-ending shoulder problem that required surgery. After a new coach was added to the 49ers, he was told by the team that he did not fit into the new system and he fell out of his contract and became a free agent.

After his departure, he was denied multiple times by numerous NFL teams because of his protest actions as a player with the 49ers. After not signing for a few years, he filed a complaint court case with the NFL demanding payment for collusion between NFL owners not to sign him. The trial ended in a secret settlement. He continues to express a desire to play and attend practices, but is shunned on most occasions. He was then approached by two other American Football leagues, but he declined as they could not match his salary in the NFL.

Private life

While working as a nurse, Heidi met Heath Russo and the two began a relationship, which led to marriage. They have three children together and the family now lives in Denver, Colorado. In recent years, she has been silent about her problem of not being able to connect with her son. Meanwhile, she supports various charitable endeavors and expresses her faith online. She’s been subtle show support for the African-American community, like her son, by posting various advocacy efforts to give African-American victims of crime or hate proper rights.