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Last week, the NFL announced it had decided to partner up with Jay-Z for a social justice initiative as the league tries to figure out a way to give its players a chance to make their voices heard without having to deal with the headache that comes with on-field protests.
It seemed like a pretty solid step forward, as the NFL has struggled to figure out how to deal with a world in which more and more athletes have started to take a stance on hot button topics in a fiery political climate.
With that said, the move wasn’t without a little bit of controversy.
After the partnership was announced, reports started to surface that Colin Kaepernick had been consulted but those rumors were quickly shut down by his girlfriend, who said the quarterback was never contacted in regards to the deal.
THIS is a lie. COLIN never spoke to Jay-Z and NFL ahead of that deal being done. They NEVER included him in any discussion 👉🏽 https://t.co/TWmoXS4JVJ pic.twitter.com/2bjSIEtnjQ
— NESSA (@nessnitty) August 14, 2019
W O W. So this partnership deal started that long ago? I’m just at a loss for words.https://t.co/0t4CEMQqh7 pic.twitter.com/HetB8L1uHW
— NESSA (@nessnitty) August 14, 2019
Eric Reid—who was part of the collusion case Kaepernick filed against the NFL—also chimed in with some criticism of his own.
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
On Sunday, the quarterback—who is still trying to find a home after being out of the league for over 900 days—appeared to respond to Jay-Z’s comments with an Instagram post featuring pictures of Reid, Kenny Stills, and Albert Wilson taking a knee while thanking them for continuing to fight the good fight.
When the new initiative was announced, Jay-Z said “we’re past kneeling. I think it’s time for action,” but based on Kaepernick’s post, the two men are decidedly not on the same page.