Rihanna reportedly refused half-time at the Super Bowl to support Colin Kaepernick and she's not the only one

While the NFL 2018-2019 football season is in full swing, reports that Rihanna denied the show the Super Bowl Halftime Show in support of Colin Kaepernick, while many celebrities understood that it was important to have a good time. use their platforms to fight for social justice. According to a source of Entertainment tonightThe singer "Diamonds" has been pursued as "leader of the next half-time Super Bowl show". The insider explained: "CBS and the NFL first contacted Rihanna, who, after thinking about the offer, decided to move on because of the NFL and the situation regarding the players knees. " The source then stated that "the offer and the exhibition would have been great for Rihanna", as she has a new album in preparation, she "stands alongside the players and Colin Kaepernick" and s & # 39, sticks to "what's right in his eyes." (Bustle solicited comments from Rihanna, the NFL and CBS, but received no response at the time of publication.)

Rihanna has not made any statement on this yet and it should be noted that a second source of information AND stated that Kaepernick was not a factor mentioned in the artist's initial discussions with the NFL. This insider said the organization had approached Rihanna and Pink for a show at halftime and had claimed that after the delay in negotiations, the two women had eventually declined. Pink, who sang the national anthem at the ceremony last year, also did not comment on why she would have refused this year's offer to perform at the show at half-time, no more than she went to Kaepernick and her position vis-à-vis the NFL.

If Rihanna's stories with Kaepernick are true, she is not the only one to show her support by refusing to perform at the Super Bowl. Earlier this year, JAY-Z, Rihanna's boss at Roc Nation, said on the song, "Apesh * t" that he too had refused a recent NFL bid to perform at the Super Bowl. On the track, which was the first single from his album with his wife Beyoncé, JAY-Z rapped:

"I said no to the Super Bowl, you need me, I do not need you / Every night we, in the end zone, tell the NFL, we too in the stadiums "

In the music video, JAY-Z brought these words closer while a dozen people took a knee. The source, in September 2017, first announced that the hip-hop mogul had chosen not to perform at the 2018 half-time show. Although some speculated that he was taking a stand for Kaepernick, since he had shown a lot of support to the athlete over the years, the reason JAY-Z to refuse the offer was not clear until At the exit of "Apesh * t".

In addition to JAY-Z and Rihanna, there has been a plethora of artists and athletes who have used their celebrity to express their support for the former NFL quarterback, including: Beyoncé, John Legend , Spike Lee, LeBron James, Carlos Santana, TI, Big Sean, Serena Williams, Cole J., Taraji P. Henson, Michael B. Jordan and Chuck D, according to Billboard. Recently, Nike has also taken a radical stance in adopting the controversial move to use Kaepernick as the face of its 30th anniversary advertising campaign, despite its longstanding partnership with the NFL.

Although the league has definitely lost the support of many personalities in the entertainment industry and beyond, it seems they have worked hard to get a star for this much-anticipated annual performance. Last September, it was reported by Variety Maroon 5 would play the Super Bowl LIII, to be held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on February 3, 2019. However, the many sharp criticisms that followed the league seemed to ignore the rich musical context of the south in its process of making The decision apparently led the NFL to neither confirm nor deny performance, according to CBS Sports.

Kaepernick, the first professional football player to kneel in the national anthem in silent protest against police brutality and racial injustice, has not played since the 2016 season. He later filed a lawsuit against the NFL and its owners in November 2017 with collusion charges to prevent him from playing in the league.

Although Rihanna does not perform at the Super Bowl, it may be a big disappointment, but her commitment to support Colin Kaepernick, despite the repercussions this could have on her career and earnings, will only make fans more in love with her. it's certainly inspiring to see.