Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick appears to have called out rapper Jay-Z, referencing a statement in which the artist declared that “we’ve moved past kneeling” when it comes to NFL player protests during the national anthem. The move follows a controversial move from Jay-Z, where his entertainment and sports company Roc Nation announced a partnership with the NFL, to a decidedly mixed response. 

Last week at a joint news conference with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Jay-Z told reporters that “I think we’ve moved past kneeling and I think it’s time to go into actionable items.” The comments were made in reference to his new collaboration involving music and social activism. 

After this statement caused a stir on social media, however, Kaepernick appeared to issue his own response.

Seeming to echo Jay-Z’s choice of language, Kaepernick tweeted, “My Brothers @E_Reid35 @KSTiLLS @iThinkIsee12 continue to fight for the people, even in the face of death threats. They have never moved past the people and continue to put their beliefs into action,” in reference to the continued protests of fellow pros Eric Reid, Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson.

While Kaepernick himself has so far avoided explicitly mentioning Jay-Z by name, Eric Reid was not so subtle. In a tweet sent last week, Reid attacked the rapper, writing, “Jay-Z knowingly made a money move with the very people who’ve committed an injustice against Colin and is using social justice to smooth it over with the black community.”

This weekend, Reid took things further still, telling reporters, “When has Jay-Z ever taken a knee to tell us we’re past kneeling? Yes, he’s done a lot of great work. A lot of great social justice work. But for you to get paid to go into an NFL press conference and say that we’re past kneeling? Again, asinine.”

There has as yet been no formal response on the criticism from Jay-Z or Roc Nation.

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick appears to have called out rapper Jay-Z, referencing a statement in which the artist declared that “we’ve moved past kneeling” when it comes to NFL player protests during the national anthem. The move follows a controversial move from Jay-Z, where his entertainment and sports company Roc Nation announced a partnership with the NFL, to a decidedly mixed response. 

Last week at a joint news conference with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Jay-Z told reporters that “I think we’ve moved past kneeling and I think it’s time to go into actionable items.” The comments were made in reference to his new collaboration involving music and social activism. 

After this statement caused a stir on social media, however, Kaepernick appeared to issue his own response.

Seeming to echo Jay-Z’s choice of language, Kaepernick tweeted, “My Brothers @E_Reid35 @KSTiLLS @iThinkIsee12 continue to fight for the people, even in the face of death threats. They have never moved past the people and continue to put their beliefs into action,” in reference to the continued protests of fellow pros Eric Reid, Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson.

While Kaepernick himself has so far avoided explicitly mentioning Jay-Z by name, Eric Reid was not so subtle. In a tweet sent last week, Reid attacked the rapper, writing, “Jay-Z knowingly made a money move with the very people who’ve committed an injustice against Colin and is using social justice to smooth it over with the black community.”

This weekend, Reid took things further still, telling reporters, “When has Jay-Z ever taken a knee to tell us we’re past kneeling? Yes, he’s done a lot of great work. A lot of great social justice work. But for you to get paid to go into an NFL press conference and say that we’re past kneeling? Again, asinine.”

There has as yet been no formal response on the criticism from Jay-Z or Roc Nation.