Colin Kaepernick says Jay-Z is trying to ‘reposition’ the Target controversy because of ‘guilty conscience’

Colin Kaepernick responds to Jay-Z’s freestyle defending his Target partnership and reveals why his new memoir won’t be sold at the retailer.

Earlier this summer, Colin Kaepernick found himself in the middle of public discourse after Jay-Z notably referenced him in a freestyle addressing the backlash he received for selling anniversary copies of his album “Reasonable Doubt” at Target. 

“They say I sold out. Yeah, I did sell out. Three nights. I sold Yankee Stadium the hell out…You shop at Amazon, or you boycott? You post on Instagram, that’s Meta, boy, stop it. You know Google owns YouTube. You pickin’ and choosin’ the politickin’ as usual,” Jay-Z rapped at the time. “They run out of characters, had to bring back up [Kaepernick] again. Buddy took a check. I ain’t even mad at him, but along with that check, you have to sign a non-disparagement. I’m the one [the NFL] can’t control.” 

Fast forward two months, and the former NFL player is addressing Jay-Z’s shady remarks in a recent interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt. 

“First and foremost, what it speaks to is the power of people,” Kaepernick shared. “The backlash that [Jay-Z] received for partnering with the NFL and going counter to people’s interests in 2019 was a major problem for him, so much so that he’s still bringing it up in 2026.” 

“People are now realizing, ‘Why are you so comfortable stepping into these positions that are counter to the positions that people on the ground actually want?’ And to me, I view that as speaking to a guilty conscience and trying to reposition or reframe the conversation,” he added. 

Kaepernick, who has spoken about the NFL “actively blackballing” him ever since he took the knee during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice, went on to explain that Jay-Z, whose company Roc Nation works in collaboration with the football league, is “another player” who has tried to discredit him. This is part of why he didn’t rush to respond to the false claims that he signed a non-disparagement agreement. 

“He has built the alignment with the NFL, the NFL that has blackballed me, the same NFL that, in a players-owners meeting in 2017, said we need a Black face to help us get rid of the protests,” he shared. “I understand why he’s trying to do reputational recovery. I get it. I don’t agree with the actions, but I’m also not gonna respond to everything that’s said about me, because I also believe the actions and the work that I do will speak for themselves.” 

And through the years, the NFL player has continued his activism beyond the field. Most recently, a representative from his team confirmed that Kaepernick will not be selling his upcoming memoir, “The Perilous Fight,” at Target retailers. In fact, the former quarterback has partnered with the National Association of Black Bookstores for his book tour, which will work with Black-owned bookstores across the country to source books.  

Target has not responded to theGrio’s request for comment at the time of publication.