Jay-Z continued to make his influence felt on the world of sports on Tuesday, when news dropped that Roc Nation would join up with the NFL and Hov would become the league’s “live music entertainment strategist.” The deal between the two sides turned some heads, in part because Jay-Z has been a vocal supporter of Colin Kaepernick in the past, even going as far as to try convincing Travis Scott out of performing at the Super Bowl back in February.
Jay tried to explain why he decided to partner up with the NFL in spite of this, holding a press conference and essentially claiming that he believed working with the NFL was a way to help “millions and millions of people” as opposed to getting “stuck on Colin not having a job.”
But in the eyes of Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid, a close confident of Kaepernick, this argument does not hold water.
These aren’t mutually exclusive. They can both happen at the same time! It looks like your goal was to make millions and millions of dollars by assisting the NFL in burying Colin’s career. https://t.co/LFBZpbj2tw
— Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) August 15, 2019
Reid was the second player to join Kaepernick in protesting systemic inequality and police brutality toward people of color by refusing to stand for the national anthem. The two both filed grievances against the league in 2017, claiming they were being blackballed by the NFL. While Reid was signed by the Panthers in Sept. 2018, Kaepernick, who is working to stay in shape, has yet to find a job.
Still, Reid has kept up his support for his friend, and in the last day, that has involved a wave of tweets and retweets criticizing Jay-Z’s new gig.
He is not https://t.co/jIRVCatNLt
— Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) August 14, 2019
You & some others seem to misunderstand that we had no beef with the NFL until they started perpetuating the systemic oppression that we are fighting by blackballing Colin and then me. Nah I won’t quit playing but I will be a royal pain in the NFL’s a** for acting like they care https://t.co/bL6SMUkrQP
— Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) August 14, 2019
about people of color by forming numerous disingenuous partnerships to address social injustice while collectively blackballing Colin, the person who brought oppression and social injustice to the forefront of the NFL platform.
— Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) August 14, 2019
Interesting timing on the partnership with Jay-Z on the heels of Stephen Ross’ fundraiser for Donald Trump and the backlash his other companies are getting because of it. #PayAttentionFolks
— Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) August 14, 2019
There is no word on whether Jay-Z will reach out to Kaepernick and/or Reid with the hopes of having a conversation regarding his new position. In a tweet that Reid retweeted, Kaepernick’s partner, Nessa Diab, said that the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback was not included in conversations before the partnership was announced.
