The deal Jay-Z reached with the NFL last week to take over setting up the Super Bowl halftime show reportedly comes with a pretty big perk.
According to TMZ, Jay-Z is going to acquire a “significant ownership interest” in an NFL team “in the near future.”
The team Jay-Z — who had a minority stake in the Brooklyn Nets before selling it — will buy into hasn’t been revealed, but sources told TMZ the rapper wants to become an owner in the league because “he’s a huge fan, already has a sports business and wants to continue to be a change agent for the NFL.”
When asked his thoughts on the matter, Panthers safety Eric Reid, who kneeled alongside Colin Kaepernick while they both played for the 49ers, called Jay-Z “despicable.”
“Jay-Z claimed to be a supporter of Colin, he wore his Jersey, he told people not to perform at the Super Bowl because of the treatment the NFL did to Colin, and now he’s going to be a part-owner,” Reid said on Friday. “He’s sounding despicable.”
In possibly related news, the NFL reinstated New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon on Friday. The timing of the move is interesting as The New York Times reported New England owner Robert Kraft helped broker the initial meeting between Jay-Z and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that led to the partnership between the two parties.
It hasn’t been confirmed, but, given the timing of the two events, it is certainly possible Goodell reinstated Gordon as a favor to Kraft thanks to his role in helping the Jay-Z deal come together.
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