Jay-Z's recent lyrical jab at Colin Kaepernick may have been based on faulty intel. During a freestyle at Yankee Stadium, the hip-hop mogul suggested the former NFL quarterback signed a non-disparagement agreement as part of his 2019 settlement with the league. But according to a new report, that claim doesn't hold water.
TMZ reports that Kaepernick never agreed to such a clause. The outlet points to his continued criticism of the NFL on social media, including a November 2020 tweet where he counted “1,363 days of being denied employment” — something he likely wouldn't have done if he were bound by a non-disparagement deal.
“As one source put it, ‘Colin couldn’t post about how many days it’s been since a team hired him,’ if he’d agreed not to say anything bad about the NFL,” TMZ wrote.
The diss itself came out of nowhere. Jay-Z rapped: “They run out of characters, had to bring back up Kap again. Buddy took a check, I ain’t even mad at him. But along with that check you have to sign a non-disparagement. I’m the one they can’t control.” The lines immediately sparked confusion, given that Jay-Z had previously been one of Kaepernick's most high-profile supporters.
Back in 2017, Jay-Z wore a custom Kaepernick jersey on Saturday Night Live. A year later, he called the quarterback an “iconic figure” in a CNN interview. That made his partnership with the NFL through Roc Nation — which produces the Super Bowl halftime show — all the more controversial. Eric Reid, who joined Kaepernick's collusion lawsuit, called the rapper's NFL involvement “kind of despicable.” Kaepernick's partner, Nessa Diab, also slammed Jay-Z at the time, writing on Instagram: “It’s typical for the NFL to buy different PR looks to cover up their dirt... what is disgusting and disappointing is Jay-Z let them use him.”
The timing of this diss, and its factual inaccuracy, add another layer to a story that's already drawn plenty of debate. For more context on the original freestyle, check out our coverage of jay-z's yankee stadium kaepernick diss.
Meanwhile, Kaepernick's ongoing fight for an NFL job remains a flashpoint in sports. The league's handling of his protest and his subsequent exile from football has been a recurring topic — one that now includes a surprising twist involving one of his former allies. As for the larger conversation about players and their platforms, it's worth noting how quickly narratives can shift, even among those who once stood shoulder to shoulder.
Jay-Z's miss on the facts raises questions about his sources — and whether he intended to take a shot at Kaepernick or simply got his information wrong. Either way, the rapper's attempt to paint himself as the one who can't be controlled may have backfired, given that the very person he criticized appears to have operated without the constraints he claimed.
