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With less than two months until Super Bowl LIX, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has addressed the league’s partnership with Roc Nation amid the rape allegation against Jay-Z.
On Wednesday, Goodell broke his silence on the accusation that the 24x Grammy winner raped a 13-year-old girl in 2000 in a recent refiling of a civil lawsuit against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
“We are aware of the civil allegations and Jay-Z’s really strong response to that,” he said at a press conference. “We know obviously that litigation is happening now. But from our standpoint our relationship is not changing with them, including our preparations for the next Super Bowl.”
Goodell added, “I think they’re getting incredibly comfortable, not just with the Super Bowl, but other events they’ve advised us on and helped us with. It’s been helpful in the social justice area to us on many ocassions. They’ve been great partners that have provided a lot of value to us.”
Originally filed in October in the Southern District of New York by Texas-based Tony Busbee, the lawsuit that names Combs as the main defendant also alleges that Jay-Z (born Shawn Carter) raped the plaintiff (referred to as Jane Doe) after she was driven to a party following the MTV Video Music Awards.
In a statement shared on Roc Nation’s social media, Carter called the accusations “so heinous,” telling Buzbee in part, “I’m not from your moral world. I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children, you seem to exploit people for personal gain. Only your network of conspiracy theorists, fake physics, will believe the idiotic claims you have levied against me that, if not for the seriousness surrounding harm to kids, would be laughable. I look forward to showing you just how different I am.”
Goodell’s statement comes after NFL and Roc Nation announced that Kendrick Lamar will headline the Apple Music halftime show at Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, 2025, airing live on Fox from Caeser’s Superdome in New Orleans.
Founded by Carter in 2008, Roc Nation entered a partnership with the NFL in 2019, advising on artist selection for major NFL events, including the Super Bowl.
