Back in 2017, when Sports Illustrated honored Colin Kaepernick with the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award, it wasn’t just a recognition… The award drew a line in history. Kaepernick’s protest had already shaken the NFL, but this moment stamped it with permanence. The piece opened with Ali’s searing words about truth, setting the tone for what Kaepernick embodied: conviction over comfort. And no one celebrated him louder than Nessa Diab. Her post—“You deserve all the greatness in the universe”—was a battle cry.
Since 2016, Nessa has been more than Kaepernick’s partner. She’s been the tip of the spear, calling out the league, the media, and even brands that profited off his image while ignoring the cause. Through every award and every silence, she’s stayed sharp, making it clear that Kaepernick’s story was never just about football; it was about justice.
Now she is sounding off again, this time in defense of Nicki Minaj, all while stoking her yearslong critique of Roc Nation and the NFL. The rapper accused Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez and Jay-Z of launching a smear campaign after calling them out on Instagram last month. The female rapper posted a video screenshot that called out the Roc Nation CEO for allegedly abusing her daughter, Demoree.
While not offering total specifics, Nicki’s claims quickly set off an online firestorm. That’s when Nessa joined the conversation. In a strongly worded statement, she said the tactics Nicki described were “very similar to what I was told they did to Colin Kaepernick.” According to Nessa, Roc Nation and Jay-Z orchestrated a campaign to help the NFL save face after blackballing Kaepernick, accepting millions in return for “changing the conversation” from boycotting the league to rebranding it as an agent of change.
The deal in question was Jay-Z and Roc Nation’s 2019 agreement with the NFL to oversee its entertainment and social justice programming, which was a five-year deal reportedly worth $5 million per year. At the time, it was pitched as an effort to “move past kneeling,” as Jay-Z put it. But to many, including Nessa and former 49ers safety Eric Reid, it felt like a betrayal of the very cause Jay once claimed to support. The American rapper and businessman had worn Colin’s jersey onstage and encouraged artists to boycott the Super Bowl. Then he signed on as the face of the league’s PR shift, without ever looping in the man whose protest started it all.
And according to Nessa, that shift changed everything for Colin, not just in public perception, but in real opportunity. She claimed Roc Nation played a key role in helping the NFL rewrite the narrative, all while Colin remained unsigned. “They used his name, image, and movement to make themselves look progressive,” she suggested in a resurfaced post from X. Nessa also pointed to Desiree Perez, who publicly bragged about changing the national conversation from protest to partnership.
So, where did that leave Colin Kaepernick? Still without a team, training, and still sidelined. And as Nessa reminded everyone: he never walked away.
Previously, Nessa criticized the NFL for calling Colin Kaepernick ‘retired’
Nessa didn’t just stay silent when the NFL labeled Colin as “retired” on its official website. She publicly challenged the league’s portrayal and strongly rejected the label. “Colin has never retired,” she wrote on social media. “The NFL is trying to erase him from history.” And she had a point. Ever since opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, following a front office overhaul where Kaepernick never received another offer, despite multiple teams requiring experienced quarterbacks.
Although critics often say the reason Colin Kaepernick is no longer in the league is because he walked away from his 49ers contract, context suggests another version of events. The 49ers made big changes after a rough 2016 season in which he knelt during the national anthem. For this, he had faced public criticism. They had hired a new GM, John Lynch, and a new head coach, Kyle Shanahan. Colin visited with Lynch, who labeled the conversation as “positive,” but a strong indication that the team wanted to keep him never materialized. With no guarantees and limited leverage, Colin opted out in hopes of a fresh start elsewhere.
But no offers came. By late 2017, he filed a grievance against the NFL, accusing team owners of colluding to keep him out due to his political stance. The league later settled the grievance in 2019, but without admitting guilt. That same year, he was offered a highly publicized NFL workout. However, the league reportedly issued a liability waiver that Colin Kaepernick’s team found restrictive and refused to allow media access. Kaepernick declined under those terms and held his workout nearby instead. Despite this, teams continued signing less experienced quarterbacks while choosing not to sign him.
That’s what makes the NFL’s “retired” label so contentious. Colin never retired. He kept training. Then, he remained vocal. Colin wanted back in. But the door never reopened. To Nessa, that silence wasn’t just unfortunate. Instead, it was intentional. Now, in 2025, Nessa sees history repeating itself as she claims the same forces that pushed Colin out are now undermining another high-profile figure: Nicki Minaj. The names haven’t changed. The power structures haven’t either. The question she’s raising: how many more voices will be silenced before people start listening?
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