Everything to Know About Jay-Z’s Deal with the NFL (Thus Far): Backlash, Team Ownership & Jermaine Dupri

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Earlier this week, Roc Nation announced that Sean “Jay-Z” Carter would be partnering with the NFL to help create a change. This sparked outrage, confusion, acceptance, hope, and more in the community. So what’s the truth?

The Announcement:

On August 14, Roc Nation announced their newly developed partnership with the National Football League. They’ll serve as the league’s official Live Music Entertainment Strategists, and start for the upcoming 100th season. Carter and Roc Nation hope “to nurture and strengthen community through music and the NFL’s Inspire Change initiative.”

“With its global reach, the National Football League has the platform and opportunity to inspire change across the country,” said Carter. “Roc Nation has shown that entertainment and enacting change are not mutually exclusive ideas – instead, we unify them. This partnership is an opportunity to strengthen the fabric of communities across America.”

Jay- Z Defends:

In a viral clip from a press conference Carter held, you see him defending his deal. Stating that what needs to happen next is action, and that the issue of why Colin Kaepernick was kneeling has been brought to the light.

“I think that we forget that Colin’s whole thing was to bring attention to social injustice, so in that case, this is a success — this is the next thing,” Carter continued on this according to ETOnline. “There’s two parts of protest: the protest, and then there’s a company or individual saying, ‘I hear you, what do we do next?’ For me it’s about actionable items, what are we gonna do about it?”

Backlash:

With his defense, he was met with backlash, criticism, and praise from various places. Panther player Eric Reid, media personality/Kaepernick’s girlfriend Nessa spoke out, and even had Kaepernick himself tweet.

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Via abovethelaw.com:There seems to be some confusion about the difference between Colin Kaepernick settling his collusion grievance with the National Football League before an arbitrator could rule on the merits, and Jay-Z allowing the NFL to paint itself in Hovaface in exchange for some Super Bowl money. The mischaracterization seems to be: Kaep “took the money” and Jay-Z took the money, so it’s all the same and so now let’s get READY FOR SOME FOOTBAW!!! Here’s wide receiver Dez Bryant stumbling into the confusion… Thinking that way is not Dez’s fault. He went to school to learn how to catch footballs, I went to school to learn how to debate the definition of a “catch” into total absurdist obfuscation. I got you, Mr. Bryant. Simply put, the colloquial understanding of “settlement” has no place in the law. Many aspects of the legal system are designed, specifically, to encourage legal settlements. A legal settlement is not an admission of defeat, it’s not “selling out.” It’s just the outcome the system is designed to produce. And, of all of those designs, none work as well as “forced arbitration.” Forced arbitration is entirely about making people settle their grievances before an arbitrator makes an “all or nothing” ruling. It’s that forced arbitration process that Kaepernick’s collusion grievance was subjected to. Let’s start with the obvious: Kaepernick accused all 32 NFL teams of colluding to keep him out of the league. However, in order to “sue” the NFL for collusion, the only thing Kaepernick could legally do was file a grievance and subject himself to arbitration. That was the only process available, because that’s what is laid out in the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association. A football player cannot just sue the NFL in civil court, without first going through this process. That’s just how the law works. Kaepernick didn’t “give up” his right to sue the NFL, the Player’s Association gave up that right for him, and there was nothing he could reasonably do about it. Kaepernick filed his grievance, under the terms of the NFL collective bargaining agreement, and that meant his case would be heard by an arbitrator…

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Team Ownership:

According to TMZ, Carter is also in talks to have part ownership in an “undisclosed NFL team.” Their source said that the ownership stake will “happen in the near future.” and that Carter “wants to continue to be a change agent for the NFL.”

Different Motives? Jay-Z & Jermaine Dupri

According to producer legend Bryan-Michael Cox in the video below, Carter picked up the phone to call Jermaine Dupri, to tell him don’t do the same deal he just did. “When we all had that meeting with the NFL, it was all a part of the same shit… I went door, I did my research, and called the same person who invited me to the NFL last year.” He called out the hypocrisy with Dupri “taking a beating” for what Carter did himself.

Start at the 13 minute mark