T.I. is no stranger to wading into political discourse, and the self-proclaimed trap inventor takes his position seriously. The Atlanta icon recently hit up BET's Genius Talks, to chop it up with host Jemele Hill. Over the course of the conversation, talk eventually turned to the upcoming Super Bowl, as Tip proceeded to reveal his new attitude moving forward.
"I have made a conscious decision not to support the NFL this year," reveals T.I., to applause from the studio audience. When asked about the rationale behind his decision, Tip replied by saying "“I think there is a violation of constitutional rights being implemented to minority players who choose to have a peaceful, silent protest." He continues, saying "it's paid patriotism because they're paying the NFL to do the national anthem, so it's not really because you're doing it for the love of country. You're doing it for the check."
While the decision may prove difficult for Tip, given the fact that the upcoming Super Bowl is set to be hosted in Atlanta, it's clear that T.I. is taking his position as "voice of the people" seriously. Given the tension caused by the NFL's treatment of those prone to kneeling in the name of racial equality, Tip's decision comes as little surprise. One has to wonder whether he can proceed to lead by example; should enough viewers follow suit, perhaps the NFL will begin to take notice. Only time will tell. Perhaps after Americans proceed to willingly give up football, Detox will finally be released.
