Colin Kaepernick‘s lawyer Mark Geragos talked to ABC News about Jay-Z‘s much-talked-about deal with the NFL in an interview that was published on Monday.
Last week it was announced that Jay would be handling the Super Bowl’s halftime show, as well as other entertainment, plus assist with the league’s social justice programs.
The deal has drawn criticism from people like Kaepernick’s longtime girlfriend Nessa Diab. Eric Reid, who played with Kap and now is a member of the Carolina Panthers, also denounced the partnership.
Some argued that Jay shouldn’t be working with the NFL if Kap is still out of a job as quarterback, while others said they didn’t like it when the rapper said “I think we’ve moved past kneeling. I think it’s time for action.”
On the other hand, many have praised the “4:44” writer for the move, including Cardi B, DJ Khaled and Killer Mike, who said Jay will probably get Kap a tryout with a team.
Recent reports state the rapper has partial ownership of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but those rumors have since been shot down.
Geragos, meanwhile, called the deal “cold-blooded.”
“This deal between Jay-Z and the NFL crosses the intellectual picket line,” he also stated. “I can confirm to you that the deal was already done prior to any conversation that [Kaepernick] had with Jay-Z and he certainly didn’t have any conversations with the NFL.”
Kaepernick hasn’t played an NFL game since the 2016 season. It was after he began kneeling for the national anthem prior to games, which he said was to protest racism against black people and police brutality.
He and Reid eventually filed a collusion suit against the league, which they settled earlier this year for a reported $10 million to split between them.
Over the past few weeks, Kap posted a couple of workout videos to his Instagram page to show that he’s ready to play in the NFL whenever called.
