American rapper Cardi B has announced that while she received an offer to perform at the Super Bowl, she ended up turning it down in order to support ex-NFL player Colin Kaepernick.
According to Cardi B, she did so with "mixed feelings" because her husband, rapper Offset, loves to watch football.
"My husband, he loves football. His kids play football. It's really hard for him…. He really wants to go to the Super Bowl, but he can't go to the Super Bowl, because he's got to stand for something," she said. "You have to sacrifice that," she added. "I got to sacrifice a lot of money to perform. But there's a man who sacrificed his job for us, so we got to stand behind him."
The rapper’s move earned her praise from social media users.
Others, however, apparently took a dim view of the rapper’s decision and her assessment of Kaepernick’s actions.
Kaepernick was thrown into the spotlight in 2016 when he decided to take a knee during the national anthem at a pre-season game to protest against racial injustice and police brutality in the US.
Kaepernick has been sidelined from playing since March 2017, when he opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers. Despite a reputation as a serviceable quarterback, no NFL team has signed him since he took a knee.