DESPITE ALLEGATIONS

Roger Goodell Says NFL Will Not Change Relationship With Jay-Z

The NFL commissioner said the rape allegations against the rapper will not impact the league’s partnership with Roc Nation.

The NFL will continue its partnership with Roc Nation, the production company owned by Jay-Z, despite the sexual assault allegations against its founder, the league’s commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday. “We’re aware of the civil allegations and Jay-Z’s really strong response to that. We know that obviously the litigation is happening—from our standpoint, our relationship is not changing with them, including our preparations for the next Super Bowl,” Goodell told reporters after the NFL’s winter meetings. “I think they’re getting incredibly comfortable with not just the Super Bowl, but other events they have advised us on and helped us with,” Goodell added. “They’ve been helpful in the social justice area to us, and they’ve been great partners that have provided a lot of value to us.” The rapper, born Shawn Carter, was added to a lawsuit filed earlier this year against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, accusing both men of raping a 13-year-old girl at a VMAs afterparty in 2000. Combs, who is also facing federal criminal charges for sex trafficking and racketeering, has denied all wrongdoing. Carter also denied the allegations, issuing a lengthy statement accusing the lawyer representing the alleged victim of shaking him down for cash. The NFL began a partnership with Roc Nation in 2019, and is set to co-produce the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show with headliner Kendrick Lamar.