Amid rape allegations against rapper Jay Z, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has insisted that the league’s relationship with the music mogul has not ended.
At Goodell’s press conference hosted on Wednesday the 11th of December, asked about Hov being accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in a new lawsuit and the rapper’s vehement denial of the claims, citing ”inconsistencies” in the lawsuit.
“We know, obviously, litigation is happening now,” Goodell told the press “But, from our standpoint, the relationship is not changing with them, including our preparation for the next Super Bowl.”
Answering a question as to how the NFL’s working relationship with Jay Z’s Roc Nation was evolving, the commissioner continued ”I think they are getting incredibly comfortable with not just the Super Bowl but other events that they’ve advised us on [and] helped us with. He’s been helpful in the social justice area to us on many occasions. They’ve been great partners.”
An anonymous 37-year-old woman had earlier on Sunday Dec 8 amended a rape lawsuit she filed against Diddy back in October and added Jay-Z as a defendant. In the lawsuit, the woman accuses the Roc Nation boss and Diddy of drugging and raping her at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in 2000.
Responding to the suit filed by Texas based lawyer Buzbee in a lengthy statement, the rapper accused the attorney of ”attempted blackmail”.
“My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee,” the Jay-Z statement reads in part. “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. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”, part of the Jay Z’s statement read.
Buzbee has accused Jay Z of bullying and harassment since he reached out to the Roc-A-Fella cofounder about the claims and pending lawsuit.
