Entertainment mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter defended his decision to partner with the NFL while free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick remains out of the league.
Carter’s company, Roc Nation, will focus on music and entertainment options for the NFL, and will assist with the league’s “Inspire Change” initiative, a cause aimed at addressing social injustices. But the rapper has faced criticism from Kaepernick’s supporters, who argue Carter shouldn’t partner with a league that, in their view, blackballed the quarterback for taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem.
Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2016 season.
“We forget that Colin’s whole thing was to bring attention to social injustice,” Carter said, via ESPN. “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?’
“For me it’s like action, [an] actionable item, what are we gonna do with it? Everyone heard, we hear what you’re saying, and everybody knows I agree with what you’re saying [in Kaepernick’s underlying message]. So what are we gonna do? You know what I’m saying? [Help] millions and millions of people, or we get stuck on Colin not having a job.”
Kaepernick has not commented about the NFL-Roc Nation partnership.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.