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Earlier this week, the NFL announced the lineup for the upcoming Super Bowl 53 halftime show. Clearly having trouble finding talent for the anticipated event, it was Travis Scott who stepped up alongside Big Boi and Maroon 5 for the performance – but his decision has not been well received. While the move was controversial at best amidst the NFL’s treatment of the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the ‘Sicko Mode’ rapper has been trying to justify the decision.
Following Scott’s push for the NFL to donate $500,000 USD to charity as part of the contract for his services, it was also reported that the 26-year-old had a conversation with the athlete before the announcement. According to Variety:
“A source close to Scott said that while the two did not necessarily agree, they emerged from the conversation with mutual respect and understanding, with the rapper taking the stance that everyone makes a statement in their own way and he felt that the money going toward Dream Corps, combined with the platform provided by the Super Bowl, will do some good.”
Scott’s attempt to soften the blow was apparent, but backfired when Kaepernick’s girlfriend, Nessa Dias, took to Twitter to deny the reports.
There is NO mutual respect and there is NO understanding for anyone working against @Kaepernick7 PERIOD. #stoplying https://t.co/0HB6kcWJRG
— NESSA (@nessnitty) January 16, 2019
Since November, thousands of fans have petitioned for Maroon 5 now alongside Big Boi and Travis Scott to take the knee at February’s Super Bowl. At the time of publishing, 86,000 people had already signed the petition, in response to violent racism in the United States.
Stay tuned for further developments.
