NFL Under Fire After Roger Goodell Defends Ties With Jay-Z Amid Allegations The Rapper Sexually Assaulted A Child: “Our Relationship Is Not Changing”

Not a great look... The NFL has had their fair share of criticism in the past for how they've handled domestic violence and sexual assault allegations against players. Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson faced over 20 lawsuits alleging that he had sexually assaulted women, describing him as a "serial predator," and the NFL decided to only suspend him for 11 games. Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt was caught on video kicking a woman, and was only suspended for 8 games. And these are just two examples of active players in the NFL who are playing despite their allegations of violence against women. So it's probably not a surprise that the NFL is willing to look the other way when one of their high-profile partners is accused of sexual assault - but it's still pretty disgusting. Earlier this week, rapper and producer Jay-Z was accused of sexually assaulting a minor after a woman who had previously sued Diddy for raping her at an awards show after-party back in 2000 when she was 13 years old amended her complaint to include a new allegation that Jay-Z had also participated in the assault. The rapper and husband to Beyonce, whose real name is Shawn Carter, released a statement through his production company, Roc Nation, blasting the attorney who filed the case and calling the allegations "heinous." "These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree?" He also blasted the lawsuit as a "blackmail attempt" and said that he would not be settling with the alleged victim. https://twitter.com/RocNation/status/1865917852542247358 Jay-Z and Roc Nation have had a long-standing relationship with the NFL, producing the Super Bowl halftime show and also partnering with the league on "social justice" initiatives. So naturally, with the serious and disgusting allegations against the rapper, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked yesterday whether the NFL would be reconsidering that relationship going forward. And the commish was clear that nothing would be changing: "We are aware of the civil allegations, and Jay-Z's really strong response to that. We know obviously that litigation is happening now so, from our standpoint, our relationship's not changing with them, including our preparation for the next Super Bowl." Goodell also praised Jay-Z and Roc Nation for their help on the league's social justice initiatives: "They've been great partners. They've provided a lot of value to us." Oh. Well as long as they've provided value I guess. And listen, who am I to tell Roger Goodell how to run his league. But when there's already a perception out there that the league has a problem when it comes to dealing with violence against women, maybe coming out and issuing such a strong defense of a partnership with somebody accused of raping a minor isn't the best look. https://twitter.com/labyrinthoney/status/1866991890572484892 https://twitter.com/jvIias/status/1866993956367564808 https://twitter.com/Kath_yy/status/1867004831464034533 https://twitter.com/sleezeSTAN/status/1866969095947817436 https://twitter.com/GBR__2/status/1866967303704997898 https://twitter.com/SkinsDraft/status/1866955736141664648 https://twitter.com/adamjones937/status/1866968066652791040 The Super Bowl halftime show will once again be produced by Roc Nation in 2025, and will feature headliner Kendrick Lamar.