Colin Kaepernick Believes Jay-Z Has Guilty Conscience Over Deals

Colin Kaepernick stated he believes rapper Jay-Z has a guilty conscience regarding his business dealings with the NFL and Target.

Kaepernick's comments came in response to Jay-Z's remarks about him during a concert in July. Jay-Z had mentioned Kaepernick and his NFL settlement in a rap, stating, "Buddy took a check, I ain’t even mad at him, but along with that check you have to sign a non-disparagement. I’m the one [the NFL] can’t control."

Kaepernick is honoring a boycott of Target due to the retailer's rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, and will not sell his upcoming memoir, "The Perilous Fight," in their stores. He is partnering with the National Association of Black Bookstores for his book tour. This contrasts with Jay-Z's partnership with Target for an exclusive version of his "Reasonable Doubt" album.

In 2017, Jay-Z had dedicated a performance of his song "The Story of O.J." to Kaepernick after the quarterback began kneeling to protest police brutality. Kaepernick, who has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season finale, has stated the league is actively blackballing me and has targeted their brothers who have been protesting.

He and former teammate Eric Reid sued the NFL citing collusion, settling in early 2019. Kaepernick, 38, now watches college football instead of the NFL, which he called disingenuous.