Eric Reid sounds off on Jay-z owning an NFL team
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Panthers safety Eric Reid didn’t go so far as to call Jay-z a sellout, but he did consider the hip-hop mogul’s foray into the NFL “despicable.”
Shawn “Jay-z” Carter’s entertainment firm, Roc Nation, will now produce the NFL’S Super Bowl halftime show, it was announced Wednesday, officially creating a partnership between Jay-z and the NFL. In addition, TMZ Sports reported Friday that Jay-z will become part owner of an NFL team soon. None of this sat well with Reid, who continues to kneel during the national anthem in protest of social injustice in the United States.
Reid, a friend and former teammate of Colin Kaepernick with the San Francisco 49ers, first voiced his displeasure about Jay-z’s decision on social media this week. Friday, he took his thoughts a step further with reporters in the locker room following Carolina’s preseason loss to the Bills at Bank of America Stadium.
“Jay-z claimed to be a supporter of Colin, wore his jersey, told people not to perform at the Super Bowl because of the treatment the NFL did to Colin. And now he’s going to be a part owner ... It’s kind of despicable.
“This isn’t somebody who just came out of left field and tried to have a partnership in the NFL. This isn’t somebody who Colin didn’t have a relationship with. This is someone who has spoken on the phone with Colin, has met with Colin, has presented awards to Colin – or, his wife has – has been an outspoken supporter of Colin. ... He’s trying to smooth it (his decision to become part of the NFL) over with the black community by wrapping it in social justice. It ain’t cool.”
Reid was asked if he thought Jay-z’s decision could be to help bring systemic oppression to the forefront by having a voice in the front office and, potentially, bring Kaepernick onto a team, as ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith suggested this week. Reid wasn’t optimistic.
“If Jay-z is going to become an owner, is Colin going to be signed the day he becomes an owner of a team?” Reid asked. “We’ll see. I think he has a very small window with an ownership position to get Colin on whatever team he’s on.
“... We were professional athletes first. Then we started protesting systemic oppression, then Colin lost his job because protesting injustice. Us fighting to get Colin a job is returning to the status quo to make him an employee. We didn’t advocate for him to lose his job along the way.”