Jay-Z defends NFL partnership ahead of Super Bowl, says he's not betraying Kaepernick: 'We disagree on the tactic'
Jay-Z has defended his partnership with NFL ahead of Super Bowl LIV amid accusations of betraying Colin Kaepernick. The motive behind partnering his entertainment company Roc Nation with NFL was apparently taken as a step to help battle social inequality within the league. The partnership gives Jay-Z's company influence over the league's important music events including the halftime show. This year, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira are set to perform at the Superbowl Half Time show.
The deal has also asked NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to commit the league into spending $100 million in the span of 10 years on social justice outreach.
In an interview with the New York Times, speaking about Kaepernick and the partnership with the league, Jay-Z said, "Roger (Goodell) is amazing and we couldn’t be doing this without him. He has been so supportive of us and is critical to us making change at the NFL."
“As long as real people are being hurt and marginalized and losing family members, then yes, I can take a couple rounds of negative press," Jay-Z said in the interview published on February 1.
This move of partnering up with the NFL has been seen as a betrayal by Jay-Z. Kaepernick, the former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, left the team at the end of 2016 after declining to stand during the national anthem over perceived police brutality. He is yet to be hired by another NFL team, This has been seen in many quarters as a betrayal by Jay-Z.
Jay-Z said, "No one is saying he (Kaepernick) hasn’t been done wrong. He was done wrong. I would understand if it was three months ago. But it was three years ago and someone needs to say, ‘What do we do now — because people are still dying?’”
He also said that he can live with the criticism if he is able to use NFL as a platform to bring awareness among white football fans that they too should be worried about police brutality. “We are two adult men who disagree on the tactic but are marching for the same cause,” Jay-Z said.