Rihanna Turned Down Super Bowl Halftime Show in Solidarity With Colin Kaepernick

"I just couldn't be a sellout," says the singer

Rihanna
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Diamond Ball

Three years after Colin Kaepernick last played in the NFL, his presence is still being felt. Even at halftime.

In the new issue of Vogue, Rihanna told reporter Abby Aguirre she turned down this season’s Super Bowl halftime show because of the solidarity she felt with the former 49ers quarterback, who garnered attention by kneeling during the National anthem to bring aware to racial injustice.

“I couldn’t dare do that,” she said. “For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”

This contrasts sharply with Jay-Z, who’s Roc Nation agency recently became a co-sponsor of the halftime event, a deal that includes a commitment from both parties to amplify the NFL’s Inspire Change initiative … but also offers the rapper a chance to acquire a significant ownership interest in a team.

As previously announced, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira are co-headlining the 2020 Super Bowl, held in Miami.

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