One thing is for sure, Rihanna stands for what she believes in… no matter what.
News broke that the singer had declined the NFL’s offer to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl Halftime Show in Atlanta. Her decision is reportedly in support of Colin Kaepernick.
“The NFL and CBS really wanted Rihanna to be next year’s performer in Atlanta,” a source told Us Weekly. “They offered it to her, but she said no because of the kneeling controversy. She doesn’t agree with the NFL’s stance.”
Kaepernick was the first NFL player to take a knee during the national anthem in protest of racial inequality and police brutality. He started the movement in the 2016 season and he has been an unsigned free agent ever since.
In November 2017, he filed a grievance against the league and its owners that accused them of colluding to keep him off the football field.
There was a similar report last year that suggested Jay-Z had also turned down the gig in solidarity with Kaepernick. According to The Source, an insider close to the rapper said that Jay-Z “really has no plans to do the halftime show.” He then showed his support of Kaepernick by giving him a shout out during a performance in New York City.
If the reports about both artists are true, that really says a lot about what they stand for. While the Halftime Show isn’t a paid opportunity, you can’t get bigger exposure anywhere else. Rihanna and Jay-Z apparently didn’t want it, but for good reason.
Jaclyn Marr 