Mariah Carey Blasts NFL For Colin Kaepernick Treatment After Debut Of Social Justice Commercial

Pop singer Mariah Carey chewed up the NFL on Sunday for the way the league has treated former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Mariah Carey Attacks NFL Over Kaepernick

During Super Bowl 55, the NFL debuted an ad that was meant to show the importance of diversity in the league. 

The NFL ad called football a “microcosm of America” with “all races, religions, living, competing, side-by-side.”

It also featured photos from Black Lives Matter protests and the helmet bumpers players wore during the season with the names of Black men and women killed by police officers.

In the commercial, the NFL doubled down on the promise made by the league in June. The league pledged to spend $250 million over a 10-year period to increase its social justice footprint and combat systemic racism.

Minutes after the ad was run, Carey took to Twitter to sarcastically write, “Happy Colin Kaepernick Appreciation Day!”

Social Media Users Follow Suit

Carey was not the only social media user to go after the NFL in this way.

“The NFL creating a commercial that shows players kneeling, putting “Breonna Taylor” on the back of their helmets, and ends with the league committing $250 million to end systemic racism must have @Kaepernick7 feeling some type of way,” one user commented.

“Seeing the NFL commercial to donate $250 million to end systematic racism but thinking about how they did Colin Kapernick for taking a F—ING KNEE,” another user added. 

And, another:

Related: Ben & Jerry’s Puts Up Massive Colin Kaepernick Billboard In Super Bowl City

Roger Goodell Praises Kaepernick

Just a few days ago, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that Kaepernick deserves “our recognition … and our appreciation” for talking about systemic racism in 2016. In 2016, Kaepernick began taking a knee during the national anthem before his games in protest.

“I said very clearly back in June that we wish we had listened to our players earlier, and we had a lot of players that were coming and bringing these issues to us,” Goodell told reporters. “It didn’t start last summer; it started over two years ago and we’ve been working with the Players Coalition over that period of time.”

“Colin was one of the individuals who obviously brought a great deal of attention to this, and, for that, he deserves our recognition for that and appreciation,” he added. 

Full Story: NFL Commish Roger Goodell Praises Colin Kaepernick – Says He Deserves ‘Our Recognition And Admiration’

NFL Wants To Work With Kaepernick 

A source within the NFL said in June that the league is hoping to work with Kapernick in the future.

“We wouldn’t be where we are today without the work Colin and other players have led off,” the source said, according to The New York Post. “That is a key point here. We listened to our players. We needed to listen more, we needed to move faster. We heard them and launched a social justice platform because of what Colin was protesting about.’

“The players have always been an essential piece of this effort and this campaign,” the insider added. “It would be awesome to engage Colin on some of the work we are doing. He’s doing real impactful work. Getting him in some way would be amazing for us. There’s a lot of work to do to get to that point. We’re certainly open and willing to do that.”

Kaepernick has not been signed by another team since he left the 49ers after the 2016 season.