NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday the league’s partnership with Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z, is “not changing” amid the civil lawsuit accusing Jay-Z of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, was accused Sunday in a lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 along with Sean “Diddy” Combs.
“We are aware of the civil allegations and Jay Z’s really strong response to that," Goodell said at a news conference after a league meeting in Irving, Texas. "We know, obviously, that litigation is happening. But from our standpoint, our relationship is not changing with them, including our preparations for the next Super Bowl."
The NFL and Roc Nation entered a partnership in 2019 for the company to be the league’s “live music entertainment strategist.” Roc Nation has since annually produced the halftime show at the Super Bowl, including Kendrick Lamar’s upcoming performance in New Orleans in February.
The parties extended the partnership in October.
“I think they’re getting incredibly comfortable with not just the Super Bowl but other events that they have advised us on and helped us with,” Goodell said Wednesday. “They’ve been helpful in the social justice area to us on many occasions. They’ve been great partners that have provided a lot of value to us.”
Carter, 55, strongly denied the accusations in a statement Sunday.
“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?” Carter said. “These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case.”
He added: “You have made a terrible error in judgement thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same. I’m not from your 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.”
The lawsuit was originally filed in federal court in October with only Combs listed as a defendant; it was refiled Sunday to include Carter. Combs has denied the allegations.
The lawsuit claims that in 2000, when the accuser was 13, Combs and Carter raped her at a house party after the MTV Video Music Awards in New York.
In addition to the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, Carter’s wife, Beyoncé, will perform at halftime of the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans on Netflix on Christmas Day.
