Rapper Jay-Z has reportedly turned down an offer to appear in this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. The rapper’s rejection of the offer comes only a few days after his tribute to former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick at one of his concerts.
While Jay-Z has not officially confirmed the report, the league did issue a statement after a request for comment by Pro Football Talk: “No decisions have been made on the performer(s) and we are not going to speculate on particular artists,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told PFT by email. “Along with Pepsi, we know that we will put on a spectacular show. When it is time to announce her name, we will do it. Or his name. Or their names.”
However, the report of Jay-Z’s presumed refusal to appear comes after the singer dedicated a song to former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick who spent the entirety of the 2016 season protesting the national anthem.
The rapper dedicated a song to Kaepernick during his Meadows Music and Arts Festival show on Friday, September 15, according to Essence.
It was reported that Jay Z dedicated his song, “The Story of O.J.,” to Kaepernick and the late comedian and activist Dick Gregory, the latter of whom died last month.
Many are speculating that Jay-Z may have refused the NFL’s offer because of his support for Kaepernick.
BET, for instance, claimed that by turning down the offer of the Super Bowl halftime show, Jay-Z gave “the ultimate middle finger” to the NFL.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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