Jay-Z defends entertainment deal with NFL
Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter defended the entertainment deal his company, Roc Nation, made with the NFL this week during a press conference with commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday in New York amid criticism that the deal contradicts Carter’s support of Colin Kaepernick.
Carter and Goodell were asked repeatedly about the former 49ers quarterback, who has gone unsigned since the end of the 2016 season after drawing national attention for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of social injustice.
Carter has publicly supported Kaepernick in the past, including wearing a teamless Kaepernick jersey during an appearance on “Saturday Night Live” in 2017. Asked if Roc Nation’s partnership with the NFL goes against his support of Kaepernick, Carter said the partnership will actually further the quarterback’s message.
“We forget that Colin’s whole thing was to bring attention to social injustice,” Carter said. “In that case, this is a success. This is the next phase. There (are) 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?’ ”
When directly asked if he would kneel or stand, Jay-Z said: “I think we’ve moved past kneeling and I think it’s time to go into actionable items.”
He then added: “No, I don’t want people to stop protesting at all. Kneeling — I know we’re stuck on it because it’s a real thing — but kneeling is a form of protest. I support protest across the board. We need to bring light to the issue. I think everyone knows what the issue is — we’re done with that.”
The deal named Roc Nation the league’s “official live music entertainment strategists,” with the group expected to play a major role in major events like the Super Bowl halftime show. The league also said the partnership will support its Inspire Change social justice initiative, a nonprofit established by the NFL’s owners and the Players Coalition in December 2017 that included $89 million in funding from the league.
Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid — a close friend and supporter of Kaepernick’s who withdrew from the Players Coalition because he disagreed with its vision — criticized the Roc Nation-NFL partnership Tuesday on Twitter.
Jay-Z said he and Kaepernick had a conversation about the new deal but offered no details about what was discussed.
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