Rihanna has confirmed that she stood up for free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick by declining an offer to play the Super Bowl halftime show last February.
The 31-year-old was asked about the once coveted gig in her new interview with Vogue magazine.
‘I couldn’t dare do that,’ Rihanna said. ‘For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.’
‘I just couldn’t be a sellout’: Rihanna confirmed in her new Vogue cover story that she stood up for Colin Kaepernick by declining an offer to play the Super Bowl halftime
The now-former San Francisco 49ers QB became a controversial figure in 2016, when he began protested inequality and racist police brutality by refusing to stand during the national anthem. Kaepernick, 31, has remained unsigned since March of 2017, when he opted out of his contract in anticipation of his release, but other players have continued protesting in his place
Her revelation comes after a year of reports claimed she turned down the 2019 halftime gig eventually played by Maroon 5 featuring Big Boi and Travis Scott.
Kaepernick, the now-former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, became a controversial figure during the 2016 season, when he protested inequality and racist police brutality by refusing to stand during the national anthem.
The 31-year-old has remained unsigned since March of 2017, when he opted out of his contract in anticipation of his release, but other players have continued protesting in his place.
During his absence from the NFL, Kaepernick filed a grievance against the league, accusing all 32 owners of blackballing him in retaliation for the controversial protests. He has since settled the grievance for an undisclosed amount, but has remained unsigned over the objections of his supporters, many of whom are entertainers.
Rihanna previously worked and collaborated with Jay-Z, who now consults with the NFL over entertainment plans, such as the Super Bowl halftime show. Jay-Z helped select and sign the Super Bowl 54 halftime show performers, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.
Previously, Jay-Z had been a vocal supporter of Kaepernick, and even criticized the league for ostensibly blackballing him.
However, during his August press conference with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in Manhattan, Jay-Z seemed to be discouraging future protests.
‘I think we’re past kneeling,’ he told reporters.
Rihanna previously worked and collaborated with Jay-Z, who now consults with the NFL over entertainment plans, such as the Super Bowl halftime show. Jay-Z had been a vocal supporter of Kaepernick, and even criticized the league for ostensibly blackballing him. However, during his August press conference with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in Manhattan, Jay-Z seemed to be discouraging future protests
When questioned about how he could enter into the business venture while Kaepernick remains unsigned, he said: ‘I think that we forget that Colin’s whole thing was to bring attention to social injustice so in that case this is a success – this is the next thing.’
He added that ‘we get stuck on Colin not having a job … this is more than that’.
Jay-Z has since taken significant heat from critics, who suggested he was benefiting from the risks taken by protesting NFL players.
Eric Reid, Kaepernick’s former teammate and fellow protester, posed a rhetorical question to reporters in response to the entertainer: ‘When has Jay-Z ever taken a knee?’
Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation is now partnering with the NFL; he is pictured announcing the venture with the league’s commissioner Roger Goodell in August
‘Yes, he’s done a lot of great work,’ Reid said after a preseason game in August. ‘A lot of great social justice work.
‘But for you to get paid to go into an NFL press conference and say that we’re past kneeling? Again, asinine.’
TMZ also reported in August that Jay-Z is set to take a ‘significant ownership interest’ in an NFL team.
However, a source close to the rapper told the Daily Mail that the story is untrue.
Although he hasn’t played since the end of the 2016 season, Kaepernick has continued to train and remains poised for an NFL comeback.
A source close to Kaepernick described the situation to SNY’s Chris Williamson: ‘Colin is literally in the best shape of his life. He’s been working out 5 days a week at 5 am for 3 years. He wants to play and his agent has been contacting teams in need of a QB.’
Incoming: Next year’s Super Bowl will occur in Miami and the halftime show co-produced by Roc Nation will star Jennifer Lopez and Shakira