According to Variety, Travis Scott spoke to Colin Kaepernick before he confirmed his appearance alongside Maroon 5 and OutKast’s Big Boi at this year’s Super Bowl, but Kaepernick has hinted that the two do not agree about Scott performing.
Scott has received criticism for agreeing to perform at the Super Bowl LIII halftime show, but he has partnered with the NFL to donate $500,000 to Dream Corps, a nonprofit social justice organization. He reportedly believes the money, along with the platform that the big game provides, will make a difference, per Variety.
Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, has been out of the NFL for almost two years since he began kneeling during the national anthem before games to protest police brutality. Although Kaepernick received a lot of criticism for kneeling, many others supported him.
Scott and Kaepernick spoke on the phone before official news of his Super Bowl appearance became public. Sources told Variety that although Kaepernick did not agree with Scott’s claim that people take a stance in their own way, the two “emerged from the conversation with mutual respect and understanding.”
“I back anyone who takes a stand for what they believe in,” Scott said when he announced the donation. “I know
Through a series of retweets on Twitter, Kaepernick has seemingly made it clear that he did not give Scott the go-ahead to perform.
So you’re trying to tell ME that Kaepernick, a man that has been Blackballed by the NFL, costing him his career, for protesting against police terrorism, gave the green light to .@TrvisXX, a man that insinuated that Mike Brown was at fault in his death, to partner with the NFL?👌🏾 https://t.co/FQG1q8J58Y
— L E F T, PhD ⚫️ (@LeftSentThis) January 16, 2019
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
Kap did not approve this bullshit! Get the fuck outta here…. https://t.co/yyMVAXQB3k
— Kojo Ebro (@oldmanebro) January 16, 2019
The Rev. Al Sharpton and JAY-Z tried to discourage Scott from performing, according to Variety.
“I think anyone that goes into the halftime show is in effect directly violating those that want to raise the question that the NFL should come to terms with what they have done and continue to do to Colin Kaepernick and those that protest on criminal justice issues,” Sharpton told TMZ. “You can’t fight against Jim Crow and then go sit in the back of the bus.”
What's Your Reaction?

Teddy is a multimedia journalist who serves as the culture and political writer for EBONY. His work has appeared in NBC's Owned and Operated stations, as well as DNAInfo, which covered local neighborhood news in New York City. He received his Masters in Journalism from the Craig Newmark School of Journalism at CUNY in 2017.