Today, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and hip-hop legend Shawn, Jay-Z, Carter and his entertainment company, Roc Nation, discussed their recently announced long-term partnership. Jay-Z will work directly with the NFL as a live music entertainment strategist.
This announcement is a part of the NFL’s newly branded “Inspire Change” initiative, which was launched in early 2019. After working with NFL players for over two years, the initiative was created with an ultimate goal of creating positive changes in communities across this country. This new enterprise also includes promoting their work in criminal justice reform, community and police relations, educational growth, and economic expansion.
The announcement was shocking to some, namely because Jay-Z has spoken out against the NFL a multitude of times in his rap lyrics. He has publicly sided with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick after he was allegedly blackballed by the NFL for protesting during the national anthem to shed light on racial injustice.
Carolina Panther’s safety Eric Reid slammed the NFL on Twitter, confirming that Colin Kaepernick was not involved in the new partnership. Reid has been one of Kaepernick’s biggest supporters. He also did not hold back his personal opinion on the situation, responding to a Twitter user by stating:
He also shared a series of tweets to share thoughts from others, insinuating that the partnership with Jay-Z is exploiting black capitalism, and that Jay-Z is working with the NFL at the expense of his relationship with Colin Kaepernick.
Goodell and Jay-Z addressed these concerns at today’s press conference, answering a multitude of questions surrounding their new partnership and relationship with Colin Kaepernick since they have received a fair amount of criticism.
During the press conference, Jay-Z stated his reasons for teaming up with the NFL are to bring attention towards social injustice, which was Kaepernick’s motive for the protest. He coined his new partnership with a NFL, “a success”. He stated:
“. . . There’s two parts of protesting. You go outside and you protest, and then the company or the individual says, ‘I hear you. What do we do next?’ so for me it was like, action, actionable item, what are we going to do with it? Everyone heard and we hear what you’re saying, and everybody knows I agree with what you’re saying. So what are we going to do? So we should, millions of millions of people, and all we get stuck on [is] Colin not having a job.”
Colin’s attorney confirmed today he had not spoken with Jay-Z prior to the Roc Nation/NFL partnership. Today also marks three years since he began protesting for racial injustice.
Thoughts?
