JAY-Z Admits He Low-Key Spoke To Colin Kaepernick After NFL Partnership Reports Go Viral

Written By Cyrus Langhorne

Music mogul JAY-Z isn't hiding his relationship with NFL free agent Colin Kaepernick. Young Hov has reportedly talked to the publicized Black Lives Matter activist who many believe has been blackballed by the league.

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According to Young Hov, he did talk to Kaepernick but details about his stance toward a new Roc Nation/NFL partnership remain unknown.

Jay-Z and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell gathered with reporters for a press conference at Roc Nation’s offices on Wednesday to discuss their new entertainment and social-awareness partnership, which was revealed yesterday after news leaked. Jay and Goodell said that they both have had conversations with Kaepernick, but declined to reveal any details about those conversations, or what his stance on the partnership may be. Asked whether they plan to involve Kaepernick in the partnership, Jay said, “You’ll have to ask him, I’m not his boss. That’s for him to say.” (Variety)

According to reports, Young Hov and his Roc Nation brand will most focus on strategizing the league’s music and social injustice issues.

The deal with Roc Nation, the rapper’s entertainment and sports company, calls for the firm to be the N.F.L.’s “live music entertainment strategist,” a role that will see Roc Nation and Jay-Z consulting on entertainment, including the Super Bowl halftime show, and contributing to the league’s activism campaign, Inspire Change. (NY Times)

The move also comes after yearly protests against the NFL for condemning players kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality.

The N.F.L. is keen to portray the Roc Nation deal as a way to bring more high-profile entertainers to its events. It also represents an effort to quiet the long-running controversy over its handling of players kneeling or sitting during the national anthem — most notably by Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback — and to form a bond with its most vigilant and influential critics. (NY Times)

Over the past few years, JAY has publicly taken aim at the league for its treatment of players like Colin Kaepernick.

For years, Jay-Z was critical of the NFL’s handling of peaceful protests from various players like Colin Kaepernick, who decided to kneel during the national anthem to bring attention to various forms of police brutality. In 2018, Jay called Kaepernick an “iconic figure” on CNN’s The Van Jones Show and showed his support for the quarterback onstage and during performances on Saturday Night Live. (Rolling Stone)

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Written by Cyrus Langhorne

SOHH.com Writer. When I'm not covering hip-hop news and announcements, I'm deep into an Audible book and eating veggies.

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