The Miami Dolphins have a new head coach this year, and he is apparently not shy about using music to send a message to his players.
On Tuesday, one day after Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills ripped Jay-Z for not reaching out to him, or original anthem protester Colin Kaepernick, prior to signing an entertaiment/social justice deal with the NFL, Dolphins coach Brian Flores played eight consecutive Jay-Z songs at practice.
The playlist for the practice, which is chosen by Flores, included the following Jay-Z songs:
Playlist to start Dolphins practice: “Show Me What You Got by Jay-Z, “Brooklyn We Go Hard” by Jay, “Ni**gas in Paris” by Jay and Kanye West, and “Run This Town” by Jay and Rihanna. All in a row. Would be an incredible coincidence after Kenny Stills’ comments about Jay yesterday.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) August 20, 2019
Some put the number at six:
So we've got six straight Jay-Z songs for the start of Dolphins practice the day after Kenny Stills spoke out against Jay-Z and the NFL's partnership. COLD BLOODED!
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) August 20, 2019
In any event, a highly unusual number of Jay-Z songs were played at the start of practice. Which would seem like way too much of a coincidence after Stills, one of the few remaining anthem protesters, made these comments about Jay-Z:
"He's not an NFL player. He's never been on a knee."
Dolphins WR Kenny Stills criticized Jay-Z for his comments about kneeling after the hip-hop mogul formed a social justice partnership with the league. https://t.co/RO9Ge1OjvB pic.twitter.com/PyCzMZPBgk
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 19, 2019
Why would Flores feel the need to throw shade at Stills? Flores was no fan of how Stills chose to handle a disagreement with Dolphins Owner and Trump supporter Stephen Ross earlier this month. Stills took a shot at Ross on Twitter, for what he seemed to believe was a contradiction in leading a non profit aimed at promoting equality, while also hosting a fundraiser for President Trump:
You can’t have a non profit with this mission statement then open your doors to Trump. https://t.co/sNBWfEXvLn pic.twitter.com/nNkRf2wJep
— Kenny Stills (@KSTiLLS) August 7, 2019
Flores was critical of Stills for taking a shot at Ross publicly, instead of approaching him privately.
However, according to a team spokesperson, the song selection was not intended to send a message to Stills.
According to a team spokesperson, Kenny Stills knew the Jay-Z music was coming, and it wasn’t intended to challenge Stills’ stance on the rapper’s partnership with the NFL. I can’t speak to how @KSTiLLS received the Jay-Z tribute at practice. That would have to come from Kenny. pic.twitter.com/ThDamHx8RA
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) August 20, 2019
So, at least six consecutive Jay-Z songs one day after Stills criticized Jay-Z, was apparently an accident.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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