It’s long been reported that Rihanna, super cool music and fashion icon, turned down an opportunity to perform at last year’s Super Bowl halftime show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL quarterback who protested racial injustice by taking a knee during the national anthem.
In an Instagram post on the day of the event last year, Rihanna alluded to reason why, posting an illustration of Kaepernick with the caption “For those of you who thought I was watchin super bowl… we beefin.”
In a new interview with Vogue magazine, the November cover star confirmed, with unequivocal force, why she decided to pass on the opportunity.
“Absolutely,” she says. “I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”
Rihanna’s comments come as two other high-profile women artists, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, are set to perform at this year’s Super Bowl and as the NFL embarks on a controversial entertainment and music partnership with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.
While a some artists have tried to maintain an apolitical stance in regards to the NFL’s perceived blackballing of Kaepernick, it’s clear where Rihanna stands.
