Colin Kaepernick found himself back in the headlines this week. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback gave an interview to NBC, looking back at his controversial protest after alleging he was blackballed from the league.
The headlines around Kaepernick took another turn after Jay-Z, at one of his concerts, criticized the QB, saying, “They run out of characters, had to bring back up [Kaepernick] again. Buddy took a check, I ain’t even mad at him.”
Kaepernick wasted no time fighting back against the superstar rapper, drawing the attention of NFL fans.
Colin Kaepernick Calls Jay-Z Out Over ‘Guilty Conscience’
Kaepernick has never been afraid to stand up for himself or his beliefs, even if it makes it more difficult for him to continue his football career. Kaepernick has often put his belief system above all else.
Now that Jay-Z has come after him too, the 38-year-old former QB wasted no time crafting a thought-out response.
In the interview with NBC News, Kaepernick suggested that Jay-Z’s comments came about because the rapper has a “guilty conscience” over the deals he’s made, like with Target, for example.
“First and foremost, what it speaks to is the power of people,” Kaepernick said. “The backlash that [Jay-Z] received for partnering with the NFL and going counter to people’s interests in 2019 was a major problem for him, so much so that he’s still bringing it up in 2026.
“People are now realizing, ‘Why are you so comfortable stepping into these positions that are counter to the positions that people on the ground actually want?’ And to me, I view that as speaking to a guilty conscience and trying to reposition or reframe the conversation.”
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As his comments surfaced on social media, one fan found Kaepernick’s reaction a bit ironic, saying Jay-Z “exposed him.”
Saying it’s guilty conscience when he’s the one who ran to remove his book from target despite it being there for over a year a long and during he boycott….. he’s just mad jayz exposed him 😂😂 https://t.co/NACinbjQPD
— Notescarta (@YayaCartar) September 2, 2026
Another agreed with that take, essentially calling Kaepernick a hypocrite for also having his book sold in Target at one point in time.
“Go away, Kap,” the person wrote. “You sold your book in Target until you got exposed. So stop it!”
Kaepernick believes it didn’t make any sense to immediately respond to Jay-Z’s freestyle verse invoking his name. After all, the former Niners star says people have always tried to discredit his efforts, and Jay-Z was simply “another player” in the game.
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Another commenter found it a bit odd that Kaepernick was going after Jay-Z, when the rapper tried to help him out earlier in his career.
Jay-Z reportedly helped make a workout in front of NFL teams for Kaepernick happen, which he didn’t wind up attending. https://t.co/BnU3dzqwg1
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) September 2, 2026
One commenter just heaped praise on the former NFL QB, calling him the “real deal.”
“Kaepernick is the real deal. And he was railroaded for being unapologetically Black.”
Another wanted to side with Kaepernick rather than Jay-Z in this battle.
“‘Im team Kaepernick on this. Jay Z should be ashamed of himself.”
Im team Kaepernick on this. Jay Z should be ashamed of himself
— CaydenNextDoor (@CaydenNextDoor) September 2, 2026
One reaction even suggested that Jay-Z has no conscience at all.
“Kaepernick thinking Jay Z has any type of conscience is pretty funny.”
Kaepernick thinking Jay Z has any type of conscience is pretty funny.
— Mr. F (@SignoreFor) September 2, 2026
Who knows how long this beef between Kaepernick and Jay-Z will last? Yet, with how vocal these two often are, chances are it won’t be the last time we hear them talking about one another. Plus, Jay-Z might not like the idea of Kaepernick getting the last word this time around.
