In an interview with BigBoy TV, rap, fashion, and vodka mogul P. Diddy blasted the NFL, referring to it as a league which “oppresses black men.”
The wide-ranging interview sees Diddy divulge his abortive efforts to purchase the Carolina Panthers to the wave of anthem protests that have swept across the league. The hip-hop star made it clear that he no longer sees the NFL as something he wants to be a part of.
“I don’t want to be associated with oppressing black men,” Diddy said. “I don’t want to be associated with telling grown ass men what they can and can’t do.”
Speaking of his efforts to implement change in the sports arena, Diddy lamented, “I hope they do what they have to do to fix it, and I hope they re-engage my dream to want to do that.”
One change that the rap star had wanted to make was to end Colin Kaepernick’s forced retirement. After pursuing a plan to purchase the Panthers along with Golden State’s Steph Curry, Diddy wanted to sign Kaepernick to a contract.
The Bad Boy Records boss — whose real name is Sean Combs — made his intentions clear last October, saying, “I did have a dream to own a NFL team but now my dream is to own our own league!”
Kaepernick, the original NFL anthem-protester, began the protest movement in the preseason of 2016. After the conclusion of the 2016 season, Kaepernick walked away from his contract with the 49ers and hasn’t signed on with another team. Kaepernick believes the league’s owners have colluded against him, in hopes of keeping him out of the league, and has filed a grievance against the NFL.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn