J Cole calls for NFL boycott following treatment of Colin Kaepernick

'Your eyes translate to advertising money for the League and its owners'

J Cole (Getty)

J Cole has joined the chorus of voices calling on Americans to boycott the NFL.

The rapper spoke out on Twitter, asking followers to boycott future games due to the treatment of Colin Kaepernick, the player who first knelt during the national anthem in support of Black Lives Matter.

Following the initial protest in 2016, Kaepernick departed from his team, the 49ers, becoming a free agent. To some surprise, the quarterback went unsigned, many believing his political stance — rather than actual playing ability — meant teams were unwilling to bring Kaepernick on board.

Over the weekend, Donald Trump once again brought up the protest, calling those who bend the knee “sons of bitches”. Numerous personalities have derided the comments, including Stevie Wonder, JK Rowling, Bill Maher, and John Oliver.

Writing on Twitter, Cole said: “God bless every player that finds the courage to kneel today. But the real power comes from you deciding to not watch. Your eyes translate to advertising money for the League and its 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 suggested a third party investigator should determine whether Kaepernick went unsigned last season because of the protest rather than playing ability.

“Every day they stay quiet on this they're saying that they condone what's happening to Kaepernick and the message it sends,” he added.

Following Trump’s words, many NFL players decided to kneel over the weekend, uniting against the backlash.