Jay-Z's move to work with the NFL has drawn a lot of criticism, including from people who once praised him. Although Hov and the NFL are working on entertainment and social causes together, many have pointed out that it seems far too self-serving. Jay's also been accused of essentially turning his back on Colin Kaepernick, although Jay's refuted that claim in the past.
Hov's own protege, Rihanna, recently confirmed that she turned down the Super Bowl last year based on principle. She said that if she would've felt like a sell-out if she had taken the opportunity, especially after the amount of public support she shared for Colin Kaepernick. “I couldn’t dare do that,” she said in a recent story with Vogue. “For what? Who gains from that? Not my people," she concluded.
However, the statements she made came days before Jay-Z announced that he'd be partnering with the NFL, according to The Blast. Sources close to Rihanna clarified that those comments were made without any knowledge of Jay-Z's dealing with the organization. They said she had "no idea" negotiations were even happening in the first place.
Rihanna is still signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation so it seems very doubtful that she'd make that statement with any reason to shade Hov. However, one's got to wonder whether she and Jay-Z ever spoke about it behind closed doors.
