Jay-Z is reportedly very unhappy with how exiled NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick chose to handle the official NFL workout on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, in Atlanta, according to Page Six.
At the last possible moment, Kaepernick’s camp notified the NFL that he was changing venues from Flowery Branch, Georgia — the official training center for the Atlanta Falcons — and moving the workout to a high school football field 60 miles south in Riverdale, Georgia.
Furthermore, Kaepernick wore a T-shirt that read “Kunte Kinte,” a reference to the slave and main character from the record-setting 1977 miniseries “Roots.” Since Kaepernick refused to take questions from the media, journalists never found out why he chose to wear that shirt.
Kaepernick’s team told the media that the press and cameras were not allowed at the NFL workout in Flowery Branch, thus prompting the move to a place where the media could be in attendance to witness the proceedings.
The workout proved that Kaepernick is qualified to be in the NFL after a three-year absence. According to Page Six, one team scout said: “at the end of the day [the workout] proved that Colin is an elite quarterback who should be starting in the NFL.”
The NFL and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith were incensed with Kaepernick’s maneuvering. Both blasted Kaepernick for the last-minute switch in venues with the NFL labeling Kaepernick as a no-show and Smith saying Kaepernick does not really want to play again.
Page Six reported, “Jay-Z feels disappointed with Colin’s actions, and believes he turned a legitimate workout into a publicity stunt.”
Jay Z, who constructed a deal with NFL to take over the Super Bowl halftime shows through his Roc Nation company, was reportedly working behind the scenes pushing Commissioner Roger Goodell to grant Kaepernick the workout.
