Not a great look…
The NFL has had their fair share of criticism in the past for how they’ve handled domestic violence and sexual assault allegations against players. Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson faced over 20 lawsuits alleging that he had sexually assaulted women, describing him as a “serial predator,” and the NFL decided to only suspend him for 11 games. Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt was caught on video kicking a woman, and was only suspended for 8 games. And these are just two examples of active players in the NFL who are playing despite their allegations of violence against women.
So it’s probably not a surprise that the NFL is willing to look the other way when one of their high-profile partners is accused of sexual assault – but it’s still pretty disgusting.
Earlier this week, rapper and producer Jay-Z was accused of sexually assaulting a minor after a woman who had previously sued Diddy for raping her at an awards show after-party back in 2000 when she was 13 years old amended her complaint to include a new allegation that Jay-Z had also participated in the assault.
The rapper and husband to Beyonce, whose real name is Shawn Carter, released a statement through his production company, Roc Nation, blasting the attorney who filed the case and calling the allegations “heinous.”
“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree?”
He also blasted the lawsuit as a “blackmail attempt” and said that he would not be settling with the alleged victim.
Jay-Z and Roc Nation have had a long-standing relationship with the NFL, producing the Super Bowl halftime show and also partnering with the league on “social justice” initiatives. So naturally, with the serious and disgusting allegations against the rapper, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked yesterday whether the NFL would be reconsidering that relationship going forward.
And the commish was clear that nothing would be changing:
“We are aware of the civil allegations, and Jay-Z’s really strong response to that. We know obviously that litigation is happening now so, from our standpoint, our relationship’s not changing with them, including our preparation for the next Super Bowl.”
Goodell also praised Jay-Z and Roc Nation for their help on the league’s social justice initiatives:
“They’ve been great partners. They’ve provided a lot of value to us.”
Oh. Well as long as they’ve provided value I guess.
And listen, who am I to tell Roger Goodell how to run his league. But when there’s already a perception out there that the league has a problem when it comes to dealing with violence against women, maybe coming out and issuing such a strong defense of a partnership with somebody accused of raping a minor isn’t the best look.
I am not surprised at this at all. Many players have and had allegations towards them and are still currently playing in the NFL. https://t.co/Dgx3qh4EPL
— K (@Kath_yy) December 12, 2024
Roger Goodell basically just told y'all he doesn't care about what's going on with Jay Z and their relationship isn't changing. He's going to have his friend's back no matter if he r*ped a minor. Wow, the leader of the NFL? He needs to go pic.twitter.com/YcZu8Wk5Ig
— ˢᴸᴱᴱᶻᴱ𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘫 (@sleezeSTAN) December 11, 2024
WOW @nflcommish doesn’t give a fuck that Jay Z has been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl, their relationship remains the same. WOW https://t.co/slNAd9UWLX
— Gregory B. Rowe II (@GBR__2) December 11, 2024
Lol tell me Jay-Z has dirt on you and/or owners without telling me Jay-Z has dirt on you and/or owners.
If the entire league went down in flames with him I wouldn't mourn it for a second. https://t.co/QhhOiIfz1T
— SkinsDraft (@SkinsDraft) December 11, 2024
They don’t care about domestic violence, why would they care about rape? https://t.co/KKEy1S10hb
— JV Felger Jones (@adamjones937) December 11, 2024
The Super Bowl halftime show will once again be produced by Roc Nation in 2025, and will feature headliner Kendrick Lamar.
