J. Cole has called for a boycott of the NFL in a lengthy Twitter thread posted Sunday afternoon. Following President Donald Trump's criticism of Colin Kaepernick and many other players' decision to kneel during the national anthem in protest of America's oppression of black people, Cole has decided to speak out. "God bless every player that finds courage to kneel today. But the real power comes from you deciding to not watch," he wrote. “Your eyes translate to advertising money for the League and it’s owners. Same ones who speak out against Trump today, are the same ones that denied a qualified man a job because he took a stand against injustice. You and me have the power to deny them our attention ($$ to them) until they make a wrong situation right.”
Cole went on to suggest that if tuning out doesn't work, taking aim at the NFL's sponsors could be a good alternative. "If a boycott doesn’t force them to action, don’t even trip. This is where the real flex happens,” he said. "Black people spend a lot of money with NFL corporate sponsors. White people who don’t fuck with white supremacy spend a lot of money too. So, next you turn your attention to these sponsors. Pick one of the biggest ones and say, do you agree with black balling players when they speak out against oppression?’ ‘If not, why are you spending all this money with a League that clearly condones that? You know what, I don’t think I can spend my money with you no more until you fix this.’ Repeat this with another company, and another."
Cole is not the first rapper to speak out on the subject following Trump's remarks. Read Common's thoughts on the matter here.
You can read Cole's full Twitter thread below.