NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has broken his silence following the rape allegation against rapper and mogul Jay-Z.
Jay-Z’s company, Roc Nation, produces the Super Bowl halftime show – though the artist was recently accused of rape in a lawsuit also brought against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
However, Goodell said Wednesday at a press conference that ‘the relationship [between the league and Jay-Z] is not changing.’
Jay-Z has furiously denied the rape allegation and said it was part of an extortion attempt against him.
‘We are aware of the civil litigation and Jay Z’s strong response,’ Goodell also said.
A woman who previously sued Combs, alleging she was raped at the MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2000 when she was 13 years old, amended the lawsuit Sunday to include a new allegation that Jay-Z was also at the party and participated in the sexual assault.
Jay-Z and Roger Goodell pose for a picture in 2019 after Roc Nation and the NFL joined forces
Jay-Z has been accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs (left)
And in light of those claims, rapper 50 Cent appeared to imply that Jay-Z – whose real name is Sean Carter – should no longer be involved with the league.
Along with a famous meme that shows him laughing in a car before driving away, 50 Cent (born Curtis Jackson) wrote on Instagram: ‘Ok I don’t know what’s going on, but are we gonna still have the Super Bowl [halftime show] *worried emoji* I’m just asking for a friend!’
Roc Nation entered into a partnership with the NFL in 2019 as the league’s official ‘live music entertainment strategists.’
The league and the entertainment company extended their partnership a few months ago.
Jay-Z vowed to clear his name after being hit by the lawsuit, which he believes has been filed by lawyer Tony Buzbee for ‘personal gain’.
In a letter released on Sunday by Roc Nation, he began: ‘My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee.’
‘What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle.’
‘No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion,’ he continued. ‘So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!
Kendrick Lamar announced that he will headline this season’s NFL Super Bowl show
50 Cent has suggested Jay-Z should no longer help produce the Super Bowl halftime show
‘These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case.
‘This lawyer, who I have done a bit of research on, seems to have a pattern of these type of theatrics! I have no idea how you have come to be such a deplorable human Mr. Buzbee, but I promise you I have seen your kind many times over. I’m more than prepared to deal with your type.
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Jay-Z then mentioned how it is ‘unfair’ that his family, particularly his eldest daughter Blue Ivy, will also be affected by the lawsuit. He also shares twins Rumi and Sir, seven, with Beyonce.
‘My only heartbreak is for my family,’ he continued. ‘My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people.
‘I mourn yet another loss of innocence.’
Kendrick Lamar is currently scheduled to headline this season’s Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans, on February 9.
Usher performed at Super Bowl LVII earlier this year, while other past shows have featured Rihanna, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Beyonce and The Weeknd.