Colin Kaepernick’s Girlfriend Angered by Timing of the NFL’s Social Justice Deal with Jay-Z

Colin Kaepernick
Getty Images/Angela Weiss
Dylan Gwinn

The more details that emerge about the NFL’s social justice partnership with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, the more Colin Kapernick’s girlfriend doesn’t like what she hears.

On Tuesday, it was announced that the NFL would partner with the billionaire rapper and the entertainment company he founded, to strategize and spearhead the league’s entertainment offerings (including choosing the Super Bowl halftime show) and consulting on other entertainment and social justice projects.

While such an announcement might seem like a win for the Kaepernick camp, in that the notorious anthem protester was singularly responsible for forcing the league to embrace social justice activism, the details of how the deal came about touched a nerve with those closest to the former 49er.

On Wednesday, Nessa Diab, a radio host and Colin Kaepernick’s girlfriend, tweeted a highlighted portion of a Pro Football Talk article which revealed that the NFL’s courtship of Jay-Z began in January of last year. At a time when Kaepernick was still out of the league, and was engaged in a bitterly fought collusion grievance with the NFL.

News that the NFL was actively seeking to make social justice inroads while at the same time refusing employment to the league’s chief social justice proponent, clearly did not sit well with the radio personality.

Diab has spoken out in support of Kaepernick in the past, most notably, when she posted a tweet comparing former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti, to the Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio characters in Django Unchained. A direct shot at Lewis after the Hall of Fame linebacker suggested that Kaepernick might want to keep his political activism private, if he wanted to improve his chances of getting signed on an NFL team.

As for Kaepernick himself, he has not publicly commented on the NFL’s partnership with Jay-Z. Though, from his standpoint, it likely would seem inconceivable that the league could fully embrace the social justice movement without also embracing him.

Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn

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