Roger Goodell Says The NFL’s Partnership With Jay-Z And Roc Nation Is Not Changing

USA TODAY - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed sexual assault allegations brought against rapper Jay-Z, whose company Roc Nation produces the Super Bowl halftime show.

Goodell said Wednesday the league's partnership with the rapper and Roc Nation is "not changing," three days after Jay-Z was accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl alongside Sean "Diddy" Combs in 2000.

"We’re aware of the civil allegation, and Jay-Z’s really strong response to that," Goodell said during a press conference on Wednesday. "We know that obviously litigation is happening now. But from our standpoint, our relationship is not changing with them, including our preparation for the next Super Bowl."

(This gif carries whole new connotations now.)

Roger Goodell, the NFL’s master of moral gymnastics, has done it again. The man who waged a four-game crusade against Tom Brady for allegedly deflating footballs now suddenly has all the patience and nuance of a philosophy professor when it comes to allegations of raping a 13-year-old girl. Stay classy, Rog.

This week, Goodell addressed the civil suit accusing Jay-Z, along with Sean “Diddy” Combs, of drugging and sexually assaulting a teenage girl back in 2000. And how did the commish respond to this bombshell? By essentially shrugging and saying, “Yeah, but Jay-Z makes a mean halftime show, so we’re good.”

There's a famous saying that "politics makes for strange bedfellows". 

Well sports and sexual assault allegations make for even stranger ones as evidenced by the past few months. 

Take Jay Z and the NFL's relationship. 

Jay-Z, just a few years ago, couldn’t stop trashing the NFL, and is now practically running the joint. Remember when he said he’d never cooperate with the league because of how they treated Colin Kaepernick? He hated the NFL so much, he made songs about it. 

But what did Goodell and the boys do? They rolled out the red carpet, begged for forgiveness, and handed him a fat check to come onboard as their “live music entertainment strategist.” Now he’s sitting at the NFL’s boardroom table, sipping champagne with Rog, and calling the shots on your Super Bowl halftime show.

And what’s the NFL’s reward for this groveling? A lawsuit accusing Jay-Z of drugging and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old. But hey, at least Roc Nation brings “value” to the league, right?

Let’s be real: this isn’t about due process or Jay-Z’s “very strong response” to the allegations, as Goodell put it. 

This is about protecting the shield. Jay-Z once claimed the NFL was beneath him, but now the league bends over backward to keep him happy because he’s their golden goose for PR. “Inspire Change”? More like “Inspire Convenient Partnerships.”

The NFL claims to stand for integrity, yet they’ve turned into a spineless corporation that kowtows to anyone with enough money or influence. Jay-Z used to despise them, but the second he showed up with some halftime show ideas and a good playlist, they folded faster than a cheap suit. And now, instead of taking a hard stance on these horrifying allegations, Goodell is praising Roc Nation for its contributions to “social justice.”

Kevin Mazur. Getty Images.

Let’s not forget how the NFL treated Tom Brady. The league spent millions investigating whether Brady deflated a few footballs, dragging his name through the mud like he was running an international crime syndicate. They suspended him for four games, smeared his reputation, and acted like he was the Antichrist of the AFC.

But when it comes to billionaires accused of sexual assault? Goodell suddenly finds his inner diplomat. “Our relationship is not changing,” he said, as if it was just a minor inconvenience, like a missed call or a false start penalty.

The irony. The guy who hated the NFL for blackballing Kaepernick is now part of the same machine, sweeping serious allegations under the rug to keep the gravy train rolling.

This isn’t about fairness or consistency. It’s about money. And distractions. The NFL was dealing with a potentially giant controversy revolving around a massive CTE study being made public, and a potential class action suit and blow to its public image that the good ol' boys owners club just could not have. They needed something to take everybody's attention off of it. Deflategate checked all the boxes and made the perfect soap opera. Plus, Brady didn’t pad the NFL’s pockets with halftime shows and social justice partnerships, so they had no problem making an example of him. Jay-Z, on the other hand, is a cash cow, and cash cows don’t get punished. They get protected.

What’s clear is that the NFL doesn’t actually stand for anything. They’ll spend years pretending to care about “integrity” when it comes to equipment tampering, only to turn a blind eye to allegations of drugging and assaulting children. They’ll tout “social justice” while partnering with people accused of heinous crimes. And they’ll do whatever it takes to keep their biggest stars and partners in the clear, no matter what skeletons are rattling around in their closets.

So, what’s the takeaway here? 

Its that if you’re Tom Brady, the NFL will stop at nothing to destroy you over a football. But if you’re Jay-Z- a guy who once swore he’d never work with the league and is now accused of committing unspeakable acts, you’ll get a free pass, as long as you keep booking Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé for halftime.

The NFL isn’t a league of integrity. It’s a league of convenience. And if hypocrisy were a sport, Roger Goodell would have more rings than TB12.

p.s. - while we're on the subject of the NFL, professional grenade thrower and pot stirrer Jason Whitlock had ex NFLer, and Jay Z's childhood friend, Larry Johnson on his show the other day to drop some pretty cringe allegations. 

p.p.s. - 50 Cent stays on the grind speaking out publicly about how horrible these allegations are- one of the few. He went on Big Boy's radio show this week and predicted the NFL will separate and distance itself from Jay Z before this year's Super Bowl. 

Yahoo - Amid news that Jay-Z is being accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in a lawsuit filed Sunday, December 8, 50 Cent made a few jokes at Jay’s expense on Monday, December 9, including questioning the status of the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show. Later Monday, he made a quip about Jay attending Monday’s premiere of Mufasa with his wife, Beyoncé, and their daughter Blue Ivy so soon after the accusations emerged.

However, 50 Cent — real name Curtis Jackson — had a more serious reaction to the news during a Monday interview with radio host Big Boy.

“I’m asking for Kendrick. I’m just trying to figure if we’re still doing everything,” the rapper, 49, explained his X post about next year’s Super Bowl halftime show set to be headlined by Kendrick Lamar. (Jay-Z’s Roc Nation has produced the halftime show since 2020.)

50 Cent also predicted that the NFL might end its partnership with Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) and Roc Nation as a result of the accusations. “They will fall back … the NFL, they won’t necessarily be associated to that,” he said.

This, after going on Cam'ron's show to talk about the time Jay Z tried to prevent Dr. Dre and Eminem from bringing him out at the LA Super Bowl because he's the most petty and manipulative man alive.