Rap mogul Jay-Z, the NFL’s social justice partner, had “influence” in getting the NFL to offer Colin Kaepernick his upcoming workout on Saturday.

According to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, the rapper had a hand in NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s decision to schedule a workout for former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick.

Rapoport added that the workout is a new event and was not part of any previous settlements or agreements.

Two notes: 1. Jay-Z, a partner with the NFL on social justice, had some influence here. 2. This is not part of Kaepernick’s settlement, nor did he ask for this in his settlement. https://t.co/6l7z3MYJ5x — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 13, 2019

Rapoport did not elaborate on just how the rapper parlayed that “influence” into getting Kaepernick a workout.

But, perhaps the “Empire State of Mind” rapper had a tinge of regret over how he kicked off his deal with the NFL.

Jay-Z came under fire for his deal with the NFL in August when he signed on to program the league’s entertainment choices for the foreseeable future. The rapper was especially blasted because when he referred to Kaepernick, he insisted that the NFL’s emerging social justice efforts weren’t about the career of one just player.

“So, what are we gonna do?” Jay-Z said during the announcement of his deal with the league. “[Help] millions and millions of people, or we get stuck on Colin not having a job.”

The rapper took heavy criticism for his dismissive attitude about Kaepernick:

W O W. So this partnership deal started that long ago? I’m just at a loss for words.https://t.co/0t4CEMQqh7 pic.twitter.com/HetB8L1uHW — NESSA (@nessnitty) August 14, 2019

I wrote about Jay-Z's NFL deal and how, try as I might, to give him the benefit of the doubt, his comments and seeing him snap pics with Goodell feels at best like a gut punch and at worst like a betrayal. https://t.co/hwMRn9SXCH — David Dennis Jr. (@DavidDTSS) August 14, 2019

These aren’t mutually exclusive. They can both happen at the same time! It looks like your goal was to make millions and millions of dollars by assisting the NFL in burying Colin’s career. https://t.co/LFBZpbj2tw — Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) August 15, 2019

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