'Nightcaps' is a daily column that catches you up on the biggest sports, news, and culture stories you may have missed while pretending to do work at your desk. It runs Monday-Friday on OutKick.com.

I don't know about you, but I've got that Tuesday feeling, and it's time to dig into some Nightcaps because we've got everything from Drake Maye's obscene milkshake habit to an Air Jaws sighting to discuss.

I'm deputizing for the great Amber Harding, and it's good to get back in the saddle after I had a short week last week to celebrate the wife's birthday.

And she did it right: an Airbnb with a pool, theater, and game room that was only about 20 minutes from our regular abode, and she invited friends and family over.

Between floating in the pool and watching hockey games on the outside TV (which was slightly broken; can't win them all) and watching the Vincent Price vehicle "The Tingler" in the theater, I had to ask myself a couple of times if it was my birthday too.

A great time was had by all, but those Airbnbs aren't cheap, and that's why it's back to work for this hombre!

So, let's dig right in.

Drake Maye had a wild milkshake habit

I'm a big milkshake guy, but I like an everyman's milkshake.

PATRIOTS' DRAKE MAYE 'LOOKING MYSELF IN THE MIRROR' AS GAME HAS COMPLETELY COLLAPSED SINCE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

All I want is a nice, frosty chocolate shake that is thick, but not so thick that nothing comes through the straw and you pass out.

I don't need whipped cream, wacky flavors, or half of a cherry pie sticking out and chocolate syrup squirted all over the top of the glass.

Just. A. Milkshake.

And I bet Drake Maye has similarly strong opinions because he had a bona fide milkshake problem.

In an interview with Men's Health, the Patriots QB revealed that he is trying to cut back from as many as three shakes in a day.

SHARK WEEK SHOCKER AS GREAT WHITE BREACHES JUST YARDS FROM OBLIVIOUS BOOGIE BOARDER

And no, not protein shakes.

The fact that he was crushing that many milkshakes and is a starting quarterback in the NFL is crazy. You'd think he'd be washing himself with a rag on a stick and having to get weighed at the zoo.

Unreal. This needs to be studied by science.

Smart to cut back, but I bet he takes the occasional late-night trip down to Steak 'N' Shake to whet his whistle when he's jonesing.

He's only human.

Just when you thought it was okay to go back in the water, some shark goes and does this.

I'm not a beach guy. That's partially because of "Jaws" and also because I don't like sand or when seaweed touches my foot.

However, I've warmed up to the beach as I've gotten older, but consider me out again after seeing this video of a Great White doing its best Shamu impression off the coast of California that went viral.

Now, I'm a veteran "Shark Week" watcher, so I was familiar with the phenomenon of sharks breaching and doing flips like it's the X-Games.

I was, however, under the impression that this was something that only happened off the coast of South Africa, which was fine by me.

Now, the cartilaginous acrobatics are hitting American shores (technically, they're still off of them, but you know what I mean).

This sort of thing never happens in pools... right?

NHL goalie goes viral for the goalie-est interviews of all time

Perhaps more so than any other position in sports, being a hockey goalie attracts a certain offbeat breed.

It makes sense. Most of us would decline if asked to put a huge chunk of the team's fate on our shoulders while fighting off 100 mph howitzers.

That's how you wind up with Ilya Bryzgalov talking about the "hu-mang-ous big" universe, or Gilles "Gratoony the Loony" Gratton believing he's a reincarnated conquistador and sitting out a game because the moon was in the wrong part of the sky.

Let's add Calgary Flames netminder Devin Cooley to this list. It's been a slow start to the season, but Cooley played well in their recent win over the Carolina Hurricanes, and followed it up with some stellar interviews off of it.

I mean, that felt more like a psych lecture than the usual "We just need to go out and get pucks deep" brand of hockey interview, and I'm all about it.

There's more where that came from, and apparently, Cooley's teammates all run to the TV when he does an interview, and I think you can see why.

Great stuff. Hockey needs more of this.

Here are some ideas for acts Jay Z could've hired over himself

It sounds like Jay Z has hired himself for the Super Bowl halftime show.

I've not been a fan of his work with the Super Bowl halftime show over the last few years. Save for the one with Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Dr. Dre, most have been forgettable as far as the production is concerned.

I mean, can anyone remember any specific moments from them since he started in 2019? Not really.

There hasn't been any Prince guitar solo, Bob Ross-looking slackline guy, or Janet Jackson nipple to speak of.

Nonetheless, I like some of his tunes, and I kind of respect the audacity to be like, "Alright, the best person to do this is... me."

I wish I had more of that.

Still, it wouldn't be a Super Bowl halftime show if we didn't go over some acts that would've been great to see instead.

Metallica -Whenever the idea of a rock band doing Super Bowl halftime show duties comes up, 'Tallica is always first. They like big, unusual gigs. That's why they played in Antarctica and are currently in the midst of a Sphere residency. Speaking of which, have you seen what they do when they play "The Call of Ktulu" there?

Bring that level of show to the Super Bowl.

Foo Fighters - If Metallica is busy, the next number most people call when they need a rock and/or metal band is Dave Grohl and Co., and I think they could do it. They've got plenty of hits and bring the energy as well as any band out there. Trying not to sing along with "Monkey Wrench." You can't.

Jack White - Now, I know he's got a sprinkling of TDS, but the man's repertoire speaks for itself. Plus, he played the Thanksgiving halftime show in Detroit just last year to rave reviews. Maybe he brings Meg White out for "Seven Nation Army" or something. It would be awesome.

The Muppets - Everyone would love this, and if you want to see 65,000 people weeping, just let Kermit the Frog whip out his banjo and uncork a stirring rendition of "Rainbow Connection."

Any country artist - I looked it up, and there have been some sporadic country artists over the years, like Shania Twain in 2003, and a full-fledged country-fied halftime show in the mid-1990s. But as big as country music has gotten, how has this not happened again? There are plenty who could handle it. Hell, Ella Langley has been annihilating the Billboard charts lately. Trot Chris Stapleton out there for a few songs with special guests, and I can assure you, there will be no complaints.

Still, best of luck to Jay Z, and what are the odds we get a Kanye cameo?

I'm going to guess quite low.

Yay or Nay on a possible all-indoor World Series?

I'm really looking forward to the World Series, because I'm psyched to see a new franchise win a World Series, but I'm torn on one aspect of it.

The indoors-ed-ness.

This has the potential to be the first completely indoor World Series ever.

Obviously, Tropicana Field is indoors, while American Family Field has a roof that can be opened and closed.

This is great for getting the series played on time... but it still feels wrong.

I don't like this trend we're seeing with more and more teams moving inside. Sure, I get the logistics and the financial upsides, but who doesn't get excited to see a football game in snow or a World Series game where you can see the players' breath.

I'll tell you: no one.

I hope the folks in Milwaukee come to their senses and pop the roof open if the weather is clear but cold.

Give the people what they want, and maybe a little icing on that slide will help Bernie get a little extra speed.

...

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That's it for this edition of Nightcaps! See you tomorrow!

It's fair to say that Deebo Samuel has a history of missing games due to injury throughout his career. His style of play contributes to that, and he was inactive for Monday night's Commanders and 49ers game due to a hamstring injury.

He's expected to miss "at least a couple of weeks," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said after he hurt himself in a win over the Seahawks. But that doesn't mean San Francisco's offensive weapon isn't playing through his injury.

He most certainly is, and he's putting it all on the line as a wingman. Not just any wingman, an e-dating TikTok livestream wingman. Is there anything Deebo Samuel can't do? And no, you're not allowed to say stay healthy.

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It turns out he's a sucker for romance like the rest of us who have dropped our guards and allowed ourselves to be. The role of the e-dating wingman is exactly what it sounds like.

Deebo played, through his injury it's worth pointing out again, wingman/matchmaker over the weekend. He hosted an e-dating livestream on his own TikTok account for a couple during their virtual first date.

TERRY MCLAURIN CARTED OFF, MIKE EVANS HURT AS 49ERS HOLD OFF COMMANDERS 23-17 ON BRUTAL MNF

From the looks of it, his services as the wingman may have seriously been needed. Let's just say one of them on the online date really outkicked their coverage here.

Those not as in touch with their romantic side left comments on the screenshot of his livestream like "Step away from Antonio Brown, we should be concerned."

Others with a more refined perspective understood what Deebo Samuel was up to while trying to help two people connect with one another.

One wrote, "Pastor Deebo doing gawds work."

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I couldn’t have said it better myself.

If he's too hurt to take the field, playing through his injury by helping to bring a couple of people together using the power of the internet is "doing gawds work."

Best of luck to Deebo and to Bebo, for that matter. Whether a connection was made with the help of the 49ers receiver or not, Isabel is going to be just fine.

The New York Giants may still be searching for their feature back, but they appear to know who won't fill the role.

Two days after criticizing the coaching staff's game plan following a four-carry, two-yard performance, the G-Men released Najee Harris.

Harris, a training camp pickup following struggles by Tyrone Tracy, got the start on Sunday, as Cam Skattebo was all but benched after another fumble, perhaps this one the most costly, last week. Skattebo was on the field for just six snaps and did not touch the ball.

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The Giants used a three-running-back rotation of Harris, Tracy and Devin Singletary, yet their top two leading rushers were quarterback JJ McCarthy (26 yards) and wide receiver Darnell Mooney (20). As John Harbaugh put it after Sunday's loss, "Nobody's really taken the bull by the horns."

Well, Harris said it was difficult for him and the other backs to get into a rhythm.

"I don't think nobody can," Harris said, via the New York Daily News. "And this is not to anything that's the coaching staff or anything. This is just personal, running backs, quarterbacks. It's hard to get in a rhythm with one or two plays.

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"The first couple runs will be, 'OK, how are they playing me?' The next one is gonna be, 'OK, this is how you attack it.' But if you're getting a play here and get taken out four series, there's nothing you can do. I don't know. I've never been through this before."

Harris has 99 rushing yards on 31 carries (3.2 yards per carry), a far cry from his four straight 1,000-yard seasons to open up his NFL career, which began just five years ago.

Harris was a first-round pick out of Alabama and was the Pittsburgh Steelers' bell cow but left after four seasons. He joined the Los Angeles Chargers, but injuries kept him out for almost the entire season.

Giants running backs are averaging just 3.4 yards per carry this season, with Skattebo barely leading the way at 3.6. Out of his 294 rushing yards, 81 of them came against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1. He followed up with 36, 60, 58, and 59.

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Harbaugh is patiently waiting to see who will take the bull by the horns, but one thing is for certain — it won't be Harris. New York will go to Houston to take on the suddenly-hot Texans before their Week 8 bye.

• Taylor Swift is supporting her husband, Travis Kelce, during the Chiefs' 2026 football season.
• She's been photographed at 26 football games since they began dating in 2023.
• Swift tends to wear Kansas City Chiefs gear and dress up in the team's red-forward color palette.

Already known as a gifted songwriter, chart-topping singer, and billionaire businesswoman, Taylor Swift has added WAG to her list of identifiers — an acronym used to describe the supportive wives and girlfriends of high-profile athletes.

Since Swift began dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in the summer of 2023, she has been spotted cheering for the team at 25 games, including Super Bowl LVIII.

Swift's presence has been wholeheartedly embraced by the NFL, whose commissioner, Roger Goodell, has credited Swift with an increase in interest among female fans.

"I'm just there to support Travis," Swift previously told Time. "I have no awareness of if I'm being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads."

The megastar is now back in action for her third consecutive NFL season, supporting Kelce and the Chiefs during the 2026 season — their first since Swift and Kelce got married at Madison Square Garden.

Here are the best photos of Swift from each appearance so far.

Swift attended her first game at Arrowhead Stadium in September 2023.

Swift's enthusiasm at her first Chiefs game seemed to confirm her then-rumored romance with Kelce.

Swift later said they were already an official couple before she watched the Chiefs beat the Chicago Bears.

"This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell," she told Time. "We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I'm grateful for, because we got to get to know each other."

"By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple," Swift continued. "I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date."

For her second appearance, she brought her longtime pal Blake Lively.

Swift and Lively watched the Chiefs defeat the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey — where Swift had performed three sold-out concerts just a few months prior.

The October game drew the highest viewership for a Sunday TV show since the Super Bowl, NBC Sports reported.

Indeed, Swift's newfound interest in football has been credited with bumping merch sales and enticing more female viewers.

Swift cheered with Kelce's mom, Donna Kelce, during a home game against the Denver Broncos.

Shortly before her third game-day appearance, Kelce accused the NFL of "overdoing it" with its wall-to-wall coverage of Swift.

"I think it's fun when they show who all is at the game. I think it brings a little more to the atmosphere, brings a little bit more to what you're watching," Kelce said during an episode of his "New Heights" podcast.

"But at the same time, I think they're overdoing it a little bit," Kelce continued. "For sure, especially for my situation. I think they're just trying to have fun with it."

Swift has struck up a friendship with Brittany Mahomes, who's married to Kelce's teammate.

Just a few days before the release of "1989 (Taylor's Version)," Swift watched the Chiefs take down the Los Angeles Chargers.

She spent the home game cheering with Mahomes and showing off their secret handshake.

Swift wore a black turtleneck and a red teddy coat in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Swift spent most of November 2023 on the road for the South American leg of the Eras Tour. Kelce even flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to watch Swift perform — and received an onstage shout-out in return.

She returned to Kelce's side in early December when the Chiefs took on the Green Bay Packers. It was her first time watching Kelce's team lose.

She wore a vintage Chiefs sweatshirt for the team's next home game.

Swift purchased the '90s sweatshirt from Westside Storey, a secondhand clothing boutique in Kansas City.

The store's owner, Chris Harrington, told Business Insider he originally thought Swift's order — which totaled $1,200 for curated vintage pieces — could be fraudulent.

Instead, she wore one of those pieces at Arrowhead Stadium in December, causing a surge of traffic to Westside Storey's website.

"We've had hundreds of orders over the last 48 hours," Harrington told BI. "Sometimes our online store lights up after a Chiefs game when we win, but this is 100 times more than that, and we lost the game. It was the Taylor effect."

She brought her dad and friends to cheer for the Chiefs in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Swift hit the road to watch the Chiefs defeat the New England Patriots on the latter's home turf. She even convinced her father, Scott Swift, to swap his traditional Philadelphia Eagles gear for a Chiefs sweatshirt.

Several friends accompanied Swift, including Alana Haim, stylist Ashley Avignone, and backup singer Melanie Nyema.

Swift spent Christmas Day at Arrowhead Stadium.

Even though the Chiefs lost to the Las Vegas Raiders on December 25, 2023, Kelce praised Swift and her family for making the day special.

The singer's brother, Austin Swift, dressed up as Santa Claus and gave Kelce a VHS copy of the 1994 film "Little Giants."

"He actually made me feel like a child because his gift to me was straight out of the bag," Kelce said on his podcast "New Heights.' "Whipped it out and handed me a VHS of my favorite football movie of all time."

She also spent New Year's Eve cheering for Kelce in Kansas City.

Swift wore a Chiefs varsity jacket for the game against the Cincinnati Bengals, which the home team won.

For her first game of 2024, Swift braved freezing temperatures to high-five fans.

The Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins during the fourth-coldest game in NFL history, per CNN.

That same day, the Chiefs owner praised Swift and Kelce's "purely organic" relationship.

"It's been a very interesting, very fun year having the two of them dating, the attention that's been focused on the Chiefs," Clark Hunt told CNBC. "Our female audience has grown leaps and bounds."

Kelce scored two touchdowns in Buffalo, New York, with Swift in the stands.

Swift joined Kelce's family to watch the Chiefs advance through the NFL playoffs — including his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce, who lost his shirt in the frenzy.

She saw Kelce and his teammates become AFC champions.

Swift watched the Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens in the 2024 AFC Championship Game, securing their spot in Super Bowl LVIII. She even joined Kelce on the field to celebrate the win.

Swift flew from Tokyo to watch the Chiefs play in Super Bowl LVIII.

Swift was widely expected to attend the 2024 Super Bowl in Las Vegas, despite having an Eras Tour stop scheduled in Tokyo the night before.

Sure enough, she made the trip in time to watch the Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers, with friends like Lively, Lana Del Rey, and Ice Spice in tow.

The superstar geared up for her second NFL season in September 2024.

Swift was back in Kansas City on the evening of September 5, 2024, as the Chiefs took the field for their first game of the season against the Ravens.

She donned an all-denim getup and thigh-high red boots.

Swift wore a vintage Chiefs T-shirt for Kelce's second home game of the season.

Just a few days after attending the MTV Video Music Awards in New York (and giving her then-boyfriend a shout-out onstage), Swift was back in Kansas City to watch the Chiefs defeat the Bengals.

She also watched the Chiefs beat the Saints at Arrowhead Stadium.

After skipping two of Kelce's games in Atlanta and Los Angeles, Swift returned to Kansas City in style — wearing over $50,000 worth of jewelry and designer clothing — to cheer for the Chiefs against the New Orleans Saints.

The home team won 26-13, their fifth consecutive win of the season.

Swift cheered when the Chiefs beat the Buccaneers with a touchdown drive in overtime.

One day after Swift wrapped the final US leg of the Eras Tour in Indianapolis, she was back in Kansas City to watch the Chiefs take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Despite a touchdown from the Buccaneers in the final minute of regulation play, the Chiefs rallied in overtime to score a winning touchdown.

The singer was on duty again to watch the Chiefs defeat the Broncos.

Swift wore her typical black-and-red combo for another home game at Arrowhead Stadium, pairing a Victoria's Secret corset with a Versace tweed two-piece set. She was joined in the VIP box by her mother, Andrea Swift.

Swift saw the Chiefs beat the Raiders at home.

Swift arrived at Arrowhead Stadium with Kelce's mom, Donna. The pair cheered as the Chiefs clinched a narrow defeat against the Raiders.

A few weeks later, she watched the Chiefs win again at Arrowhead Stadium.

Swift wore her boldest gameday outfit yet for the Chiefs vs. the Houston Texans, pairing a statement red coat with a faux-fur lining from Charlotte Simone and a vintage Chanel bucket hat.

Kelce and the Chiefs beat the Texans 19-27, adding another win to their dominant season.

Swift sat with Caitlin Clark during the divisional round of the playoffs.

Swift and WNBA star Caitlin Clark were spotted celebrating together when the Chiefs defeated the Texans again, 23-14, advancing to the AFC Championship Game for the seventh straight season.

For the second year in a row, Swift celebrated on the field with Kelce and the Chiefs when they became AFC champions.

The Chiefs took down the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the 2025 AFC Championship Game, sending the league's top-seeded team to the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

Like she did the previous year, Swift joined Kelce, his mom, and his teammates on the field for their post-game celebration. Unlike the previous year, however, Swift wore a loud-luxury outfit covered with Louis Vuitton logos.

Swift traveled to New Orleans for a rare Chiefs loss at the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs faced the Eagles at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. Serendipitously, Swift's trusted collaborator Kendrick Lamar headlined the halftime show.

As opposed to her usual Chiefs getup, Swift wore an agnostic white-and-denim outfit — perhaps to avoid rooting against her hometown team, who beat the Chiefs 40-22. (To date, the Chiefs have only lost four times with Swift in the stands.)

Swift skipped the Emmys to watch the Chiefs' first win of the 2026 season.

During the 2026 Emmys, Swift appeared in a prerecorded sketch with host Mariska Hargitay and the rest of the "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" cast to explain her absence from the awards show. (Swift's latest Disney+ concert movie, which was filmed during her final performance of the Eras Tour, was nominated for outstanding variety special.)

As Hargitay's Olivia Benson pieces together, the Emmys overlapped with the Chiefs' first game of the 2026 season — playfully described in the scene as Swift's husband having a "work thing."

Indeed, Swift was spotted celebrating the Chiefs' win over the Broncos alongside her mom, Andrea; Kelce's mom, Donna; and Kelce's brother, Jason.

Swift celebrated Kelce's first touchdown of the 2026 season with a nod to their marriage.

The Chiefs won their second game of the 2026 season against the Indianapolis Colts.

When Kelce scored his first touchdown of the season, Swift was filmed cheering and pointing to her wedding ring, apparently yelling, "That's my husband!"

Swift returned to Arrowhead Stadium after a special performance in LA.

On October 17, 2026, Swift took the stage at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures' sixth annual gala in Los Angeles. She sang her "Toy Story 5" soundtrack hit, "I Knew It, I Knew You," and gave her debut performance of "The Fate of Ophelia."

The following day, Swift was back in Kansas City to watch the Chiefs take on the Chargers. The home team won 22-6, extending their undefeated streak this season.

Supporters of the New Orleans Saints are marching into France, and the wave began early Tuesday when an Air France charter flight carrying Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and others was expected to arrive at Charles de Gaulle Airport northeast of Paris.

The Republican governor, wearing a hoodie with the Saints' trademark fleur-de-lis symbol across his chest, left Louis Armstrong Airport on Monday evening. He spoke with reporters before boarding his flight "with a bunch of folks" who would spend the week in France before Sunday's NFL game between the Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers at Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

Landry seemed confident the trip's safety risk was manageable — so much so that the group carried the Saints' Super Bowl XLIV Lombardi Trophy on the trip.

NFL MONITORS FRANCE STREET VIOLENCE BEFORE SAINTS-STEELERS GAME NEAR PARIS WITH A MAJOR DECISION LOOMING

"Yeah, look, we've been in contact with the State Department and talking to our partners over there," Landry told reporters. "One thing the NFL does very well is work with the FBI, to use Department of Justice, Interpol, they do a great job of securing new stadiums out there.

"And we waited to hear the comment from the NFL. They said it's safe. We're gonna go out there with a bunch of folks from Louisiana and hopefully have a good time."

The NFL on Sunday released a statement that said the game is still on. but nothing in the statement unequivocally said the situation is safe.

"Preparations continue as scheduled for NFL events and the game at Stade de France next Sunday," the NFL statement provided to OutKick and Fox News Digital read.

NFL SAYS FIRST REGULAR-SEASON GAME IN FRANCE REMAINS ON TRACK DESPITE GROWING UNREST IN PARIS

"We continue to work closely with local authorities and partners on all operational and security matters. We are also providing the two clubs with regular updates. There’s been no disruption or impact at league sites."

The Saints traveled to France after their game on Sunday and some fans are obviously following. The Steelers plan to fly to France on Thursday but on Monday afternoon held a Zoom meeting with the league office about the trip. All the players, coaches and even Steelers owner Art Rooney II were on the call.

"That's part of the normal planning anytime you go abroad," Steelers coach Mike McCarthy said. "The team is excited to go over there but we're in contact with the league...

"We are aware of the situations over there, and have a lot of confidence in our plan."

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New Orleans players, already in France, are off Tuesday and free to roam away from their temporary headquarters near Versailles. Some players planned to attend a Paris Saint-Germain FC soccer match in the evening.

This is against the backdrop of the French government imposing a curfew and many businesses and some famous tourist attractions shutting down amid the wave of violence that engulfed sections of Paris and other cites around the country.

Despite all this, Landry is expecting to conduct some business on behalf of the people of Louisiana while in France.

"Look, we do a lot of work and business in Europe, and so we're very excited," he said. "We got a number of meetings, a meeting with the CEO of Shell, the CEO of BP, and others."

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Another meeting Landry hopes to have is with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who is scheduled to attend the game. Landry hopes to lobby Goodell to hold another Super Bowl in New Orleans.

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Jay-Z did not have to look too long and hard for the performer for this year's Super Bowl halftime performance, as the 25-time Grammy Award winner has reportedly selected himself to take the stage at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., just outside of Los Angeles.

According to Puck News, Jay-Z has given the nod to himself over Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber, who were reportedly considered to be finalists to get the gig for the halftime show for Super Bowl LXI. TMZ previously reported that Harry Styles was also among frontrunners for February's halftime performance.

Jay-Z and his entertainment company, Roc Nation, have been the producers and decision-makers of the Super Bowl halftime show since 2019.

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The 56-year-old rap icon will wrap up his four-city tour with back-to-back shows at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 23 and 24. The Jay-Z 30 Tour celebrates the 30th anniversary of his 1996 debut album, 'Reasonable Doubt,' and it has been wildly successful, with Puck reporting that he grossed more than $42 million across three consecutive nights of shows held at Yankee Stadium in July.

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While Jay-Z has never performed at the Super Bowl, his wife, Beyoncé, headlined the halftime show in 2013 in New Orleans. She also made a guest appearance on stage during the 2016 Super Bowl in Santa Clara alongside Bruno Mars and Coldplay.

Jay-Z last released an album in June 2017 titled '4:44,' although he recently re-released his 'I Just Wanna Love U' single from 2000.

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Jay-Z, the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, has 50.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify, ranking him 71st among the most-listened-to artists on the music streaming service.

Super Bowl LXI will be held on February 14.

Dan Quinn has a public relations problem right now and at the heart of the issue is some powerful people that are painting him as something of an NFL sideline bungler as the Washington Commanders coach.

That's exactly how he looked in the second quarter of the Monday Night Football game where his team rallied to lose against the San Francisco 49ers.

The problem? Quinn seemed to lose track of the downs in a key second-quarter situation. He seemed to think it was fourth down and called for a field goal when, in fact, his offense had just run a fourth-down play and, not only didn't convert, but also drew a penalty.

NFL'S DUMBEST MOMENT OF WEEK 5 HAD THE COMMANDERS TAKING A TIE MORE OFFENSIVE THAN REDSKINS NICKNAME EVER WAS

So, there was the coach on national television, seemingly calling for his field goal unit to get on the field when his offense had surrendered the football.

And we interrupt this coaching nightmare to say Quinn contends that's not what happened at all. He told reporters a much different version of events after the game.

"No, I definitely knew it was fourth down," the coach said. "We were going for it, and I was, I think with whatever you're referring to, I think it was the illegal shift, there's not a penalty to go for a field goal.

"Like, it's the turnover on downs. Like, I think somebody asked me, 'Can we kick a field goal?' ... I knew what happened. I think I was probably just commenting that I remember, at least on the headset, somebody asked me after an illegal shift, um, like, it was a turnover on downs."

That's an explanation most of the country missed because it happened in Quinn's postgame press conference which wasn't nationally televised.

What many instead will remember was what they saw on TV, which made the coach look bad.

So, if perception is reality, Quinn is going to have to rehabilitate his increasingly tarnished reputation as a sideline game manager.

That's because just last week, Quinn's Commanders utterly embarrassed themselves in how they managed a last-minute situation against the New York Giants, wasting precious seconds, mismanaging the clock and the downs, and settling for a tie when they should have likely won the game.

NFL'S DUMBEST MOMENT OF WEEK 2 GOES TO JETS COACH AARON GLENN WHO PLAYED NOT TO LOSE AT END OF REGULATION

That terrible scenario that doesn't easily fade definitely caused everyone to believe Quinn was at it again on Monday night – messing up again, forgetting that the last play was fourth down instead of third down.

"Field goal," Quinn seemingly said as ABC's cameras caught him and lip readers across the world did their thing.

And then he followed with, "Oh, that was fourth down."

That scene not only played out during the game, but was then discussed at halftime on both the ESPN main broadcast and the Pat McAfee alternate broadcast.

"We found out at halftime Dan Quinn didn't know what down it was," McAfee told his audience. "That's a real problem."

The McAfee crew that featured Dan Orlovsky had some fun with the issue because the former quarterback was yelling for Quinn to kick a field goal on fourth down instead of going for it.

Quinn, they joked, wanted to kick the field goal Orlovsky wanted on fifth down.

"Dan Quinn did not know it's fourth down coming off of last week, and then to go for it and get the penalty," Orlovsky said. "I'm a Dan Quinn guy. But you gotta get the operation better."

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This leaves Quinn in a rough spot.

He's probably going to have to explain what happened to Commanders' owner Josh Harris because last week opened the door to everyone believing the coach is indeed capable of making a boneheaded mistake.

The question now is whether everyone, including Harris, believes Quinn's explanation or they believe the lip-readers more.

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The San Francisco 49ers held off a fourth-quarter rally to remain undefeated with a 23-17 victory on Monday night, but the Commanders left Levi's Stadium with far bigger concerns as injuries continue to pile up.

Top Commanders wideout Terry McLaurin had to be carted off the field in the first half with an apparent left knee injury after going down without contact. 

Teammates and Niners players alike took a knee for McLaurin as he exited, leaving Washington facing a 13-3 deficit that grew to 20-3 by halftime behind a Brock Purdy touchdown pass to George Kittle and two Christian McCaffrey scoring runs.

AWFUL SCENE AS LEO CHANEL SUFFERS NECK INJURY, MARKING SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK WASHINGTON COMMANDERS SUFFER SCARE

The injury comes with the Commanders sitting at the bottom of the NFC at 1-5, still trying to regroup after a Week 5 clock-management blunder by quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Before kickoff, McLaurin — long regarded as the leader of Washington's locker room — spoke to the ESPN broadcast crew about steadying the team through the rough stretch.

COMMANDERS RUN OUT THE CLOCK ON THEMSELVES, SETTLE FOR TIE WITH GIANTS IN OVERTIME MELTDOWN

"I've just been telling our guys we're going through the fire right now," McLaurin said. "You want to get to something, you gotta go through it. You can't go around it."

McLaurin entered Monday leading Washington with 14 receptions for 203 yards and a touchdown.

Since entering the league in 2019, McLaurin has remained Washington's most dependable receiving threat. The two-time Pro Bowler's knack for contested catches yielded five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (2020-2024) despite an inconsistent quarterback carousel, though injuries did limit his 2025 campaign to 10 games.

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San Francisco also sustained a notable injury hit before the break, as wide receiver Mike Evans left the game with less than a minute left in the second quarter. Evans went to the locker room after a 16-yard reception, leaving with three receptions for 94 yards. 

Jayden Daniels nearly salvaged the night without his top weapon, throwing second-half touchdown passes to Stefon Diggs and Rachaad White to cut the deficit to 23-17 before the 49ers' defense held firm on Washington's final possession.

Now, Washington's offensive depth faces another test. 

While Diggs found the end zone late, the veteran wideout also took several hard hits from the Niners' defense before halftime, and the Commanders have already lost star offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil to a season-ending triceps injury.

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The NFL announced on Monday that they have suspended Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson for one game, without pay, after he spit at Las Vegas Raiders' Brock Bowers on Sunday. Officials ejected Gardner-Johnson for spitting at the Raiders tight end late in the second quarter.

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Referees immediately flagged Gardner-Johnson for unsportsmanlike conduct and sent him to the lockers at Allegiant Stadium early.

The penalty positioned the Raiders comfortably down the field before halftime, allowing Las Vegas to boot a field goal and tie the game going into the break. The Bills ultimately held on to win the game, 33-30.

Following the game, Gardner-Johnson issued an apology on social media.

NFL REFS HAVE SET ALL-TIME RECORD FOR FLAGS THIS SEASON, AND IT'S CHANGING THE OUTCOME OF GAMES

"The gesture I made toward my opponent was inappropriate, unnecessary, and not a reflection of the respect I have for him or this game," Gardner-Johnson posted on his Instagram stories.

"There is no excuse for my actions, and I take full accountability," the statement read in part. "No matter how emotional or intense the competition gets, I have to hold myself to a higher standard."

Gardner-Johnson being a problem for his team is frankly nothing new.

Just last season, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was slapped with a $57,222 fine and stripped of a game check after spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott during Week 1.

THREE COWBOYS PLAYERS FINED MORE THAN $33,000 COMBINED AFTER SEASON-OPENING LOSS TO GIANTS

Back in 2020, his own New Orleans Saints teammate Michael Thomas punched him during practice after Gardner-Johnson reportedly provoked him. Later that season, Chicago Bears receiver Javon Wims threw a right hook at him during a live game after Gardner-Johnson ripped Wims' mouthpiece off his helmet. The following year, another Bears receiver, Anthony Miller, was ejected for throwing a punch at Gardner-Johnson during a playoff game.

Whether he is suiting up for the Saints, Eagles, Lions, or Bills, Gardner-Johnson's conduct remains exactly the same. He will now miss Buffalo's upcoming game against the Baltimore Ravens simply because he could not act like an adult on the field.

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The picture of the New Orleans Saints arriving in France on Monday and rolling through the streets of Paris amid looting and fires is not an accurate portrayal of what happened. There was none of that drama on the teams' first day in the country.

The Saints arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport and are staying on the verdant outskirts of Versailles, about 12–15 miles and 40 minutes from central Paris.

But the events that have caused turmoil in Paris and other towns around the country are indeed on the minds of coaches, players, and staff as they prepare to play the NFL's first game in France on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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The Saints got a chance to walk around the vicinity of Stade de France in Saint-Denis upon arriving, according to coach Kellen Moore. They're scheduled to go back on Saturday for a walk-through inside the facility.

Moore said there are no planned team-bonding events to tour Paris or any other area. But neither have players been told to abstain from having dinner together or taking in some local fare.

All of that comes with an understanding: Stay alert and safe.

"Us as outsiders," tight end Juwan Johnson told NOLA.com, "we just want to be as safe as possible."

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Johnson said that even though his wife is on the trip, as are the families of many players and staff, she is still "very undecided" about attending Sunday's game.

Safety Justin Reid said he plans to take in a soccer game on his day off Tuesday between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona at the Parc des Princes in the southwest section of Paris. Other players also showed interest in attending.

But, again, it all comes with the requirement that everyone keeps their head on the proverbial swivel.

"It’ll just be, 'keep it low-key, keep it fun,' do things as a group, do things as a team," Reid said. "And above all else, stay out of the mix and don’t find any way to be a distraction to what our ultimate goal here is ...

"We want to enjoy being in Paris and seeing things, but I don’t think many of us are very interested in getting into the mix that deeply."

Moore seems confident that will be the case.

"Our guys are smart," the coach told reporters on a Monday Zoom call. "They understand, you know, this is a still a business trip ..."

The Saints as an organization have shown no compunction about being on this trip. When the NFL released a statement about moving ahead with the game as scheduled, the Saints concurred.

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But, the statement from Saints senior vice president of communications Greg Bensel also makes the point that the team has stayed in the loop about security.

"We concur with the NFL's statement and are planning to play the game," Bensel said in a statement provided to OutKick and Fox News Digital. "In addition to working closely with the NFL, we have also maintained daily security updates with our security partners in France.

"Members of our football operations staff and internal security team have been on the ground in France for the past few days and there has been no disruption or impact at any of our team sites."

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If 2-4 wasn’t a bad enough start for the Los Angeles Rams, they are about to be without one of their top players for a while.

Wide receiver Davante Adams will be out 6–10 weeks after rupturing his hamstring, head coach Sean McVay revealed following the shocking 18-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

It was on the final drive for the Rams that it appeared Adams suffered the injury. The Rams were near the goal line where Adams pulled up during his route and hopped out the back of the end zone.

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He eventually limped off the field, and it wasn’t at all what the Rams wanted to see with their 33-year-old receiver, whom Matthew Stafford loves in the red zone since he joined them this past season.

While Adams was able to get off the field on his own power, further testing after the game showed just how serious of an injury it is for the veteran.

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It’s also quite serious for a Rams team to lose their leading receiver who plays such a vital role on offense, especially when Puka Nacua didn’t start the season on time due to his own injury.

Through six games, Adams had 480 yards through the air and four touchdowns.

Hamstring injuries for receivers can be tricky, as we look ahead to when Adams could potentially return. The timetable McVay gave proves just how delicate they can be, with the earliest return date sometime in December. If it goes a full 10 weeks, Adams would only be available for the remaining two regular-season games.

It’s safe to say Adams will be placed on the injured reserve, and he isn’t the only Rams player heading there after Sunday’s loss.

Kicker Blake Grupe, whom the Rams added leading up to Week 6 following the struggles of Harrison Mevis, is out for the season with a knee injury after he attempted a tackle early in Sunday’s game. Defensive tackle Poona Ford is also out for the year with a tricep injury, while fellow tackle Kobie Turner is heading to the IR with a groin injury.

Before the season began, there were talks of a "super team" developing in Los Angeles due to the Myles Garrett trade among other additions, while Stafford was coming off an MVP season at quarterback.

Now, with Garrett still dealing with a knee ailment in his own right, the Rams have been banged up with key players not just being down for a week or two, but prolonged recoveries.

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This isn’t at all what McVay and the Rams expected when the season began, but they’ll be forced to weather the storm in hopes they can get back to consistent winning.

In the meantime, at receiver, the Rams will have to lean on Nacua, while players like Jordan Whittington and Konata Mumpfield may see increased roles with Adams out.

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In early 2025, Donald Trump became the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl. He had just returned to the White House and his approval ratings were higher than ever. A few months earlier, he had won the election with a 12-point lead among male voters, which encouraged him to embark on something of a tour of some of the principal cathedrals of American men’s sport: on December 14, he attended the traditional Army-Navy college football game; on February 9, he was at the Super Bowl; on February 16, he attended the NASCAR Daytona 500; and on June 8, he was present at UFC 316, shortly after which he announced that he would stage a UFC fight at the White House to celebrate his 80th birthday.

Seguir leyendo

This article was originally published by Truthout on Sept. 29, 2026. It is shared here under a  Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license.

An NFL official reportedly threatened to remove Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair from his game earlier this month unless he removed his memorial for an 8-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israel in Gaza.

During the Texans’s week two game against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 20, Al-Shaair wrote the name of Wafaa Akila on his eye black, which refers to the strip or paint streaks that many football players wear on their cheeks.

Wafaa was an 8-year-old girl who was killed, along with her father, in an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in Gaza City on September 6. She and her father were on their way home from her first day of school, according to Al Jazeera.

Al-Shaair, who is rated as one of the top linebackers in the league, was reportedly told by an NFL official that he would have to remove his eye black or else be barred from playing in the game, an anonymous NFL source told The Athletic. Al-Shaair complied, the reports said. Fox News’s sports vertical also confirmed the league’s threat.

The linebacker’s latest tribute came just days after the NFL gave him an $11,941 fine for writing Hind Rajab’s name on his eye black during the Texans game against the Buffalo Bills on September 13. In a show of solidarity, Dallas Mavericks player Kyrie Irving said in a post on social media that he would “take care of his fine.”

“It’s bigger to me. What’s a life worth? Is a life worth $11,000? I think it’s priceless,” said Al-Shaair when asked about the penalty.

“You can’t get so lost in your own problems that you can’t have compassion for other people in the world,” he went on. “We don’t have to have all the answers to everything to know that an innocent man, an innocent woman, an innocent child losing her life is not right … whether they’re here in America or somewhere halfway across the world.”

Ahead of the Texans game against the Indianapolis Colts this past Sunday, Al-Shaair once again wore the names of children killed by Israel — Lana and Bana Ahmed, two sisters who Israel killed along with their family in an airstrike earlier this month. The sisters were 12 and 8 years old.

The NFL gave Al-Shaair a similar fine in January when he wrote “stop the genocide” on his eye black during the pregame, but took it off for the actual game. At the time, he said that he was similarly told that he would be banned from playing in the game if he kept the message on.

“At the end of the day, it’s bigger than me. When things that are going on makes people uncomfortable — imagine how those people feel. I think that’s the biggest thing. I have no affiliation, no connection to these people other than the fact that I’m a human being,” Al-Shaair told reporters after that fine. “Even when I’m walking off this field, that’s the type of stuff that goes through my head, that I have to check myself — when I’m sitting here crying about football, when there’s people dying every single day.”

He was told that he violated league rules about displaying non-approved personal messages — but he pointed out that other players have written messages on their eye black without a fine.

“They always fine you, but I was told if I wore that in the game, I would be pulled out of the game,” he said. “I understood it was a fine, but I ain’t never seen Stef get pulled out of the game for having eye tape with writing on it.” Al-Shaair was referring to New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs, who frequently writes messages honoring his Christian faith on his face tape.

This story originally appeared in Truthdig on Sep. 15, 2026, and is shared with permission.

During the national anthem of the first three 2016 NFL preseason games, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat down on his team’s bench between two Gatorade coolers. Few noticed, and nobody made mention of the gesture until a Black reporter for NFL Network named Steve Wyche asked him about it following the third exhibition tilt, a home game against the Green Bay Packers. Wyche’s interview with Kaepernick put the quiet protest on newsfeeds across the country. Then, shortly after police shot and killed Alton Sterling and Philando Castile within a 48-hour period — Kaepernick and a teammate, safety Eric Reid, went a step further before the final preseason game on Sept. 1. Instead of sitting on the bench during the anthem, they took a knee. The rest is civil rights and sports history.

The story of Kaepernick’s life before and after that fateful stand is the subject of his new memoir, “The Perilous Fight,” co-written with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Nick Chiles. Kaepernick’s journey from a shy adoptee of color to white parents uninterested in exploring his Black experience, to a boldfaced protest icon is a singular American story, whose hinge moment came at the cusp of the Trump era. The book, which comes out tomorrow, will be available at most places where books are sold — but not Target. Kaepernick is boycotting the retailer over the company’s anti-diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. I spoke with the author in late August. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. 

Truthdig: Beginning where the book begins, have you thought about what it means to be a public face for adopted children? 

Colin Kaepernick: It’s interesting, I didn’t actually hear much about adoption prior to the 2016 protest, which is when I got a surprising amount of letters and feedback from adoptees. It wasn’t immediately on my radar because being adopted is just life for me; like a regular Tuesday, right? But as more and more people reached out over the years, I’ve become mindful and intentional about showing the positive elements of it, but also the realities, and what it requires to work through all of it. Looking back, it’s natural this position came into my realm. I try to represent our community appropriately. 

How were you able to grow as a person at the University of Nevada-Reno?

I was fortunate to find the right relationships early on. Some I stumbled into, like the one with my roommate-teammate Virgil Green. He invited me to attend Second Baptist Church, which became a second home for me because Reno wasn’t overly welcoming to its small Black population either. The town’s historical nickname is “The Mississippi of the West.” Later on in college, another teammate, future Super Bowl champion Brandon Marshall, introduced me to the Kappas, an esteemed Divine Nine Black fraternity, which I didn’t even know we had because the campus population was so small. 

One of the funniest moments in the book is your dad getting all worked up and questioning you because he thinks it’s an “Animal House” situation.

Yeah, Dad. Not the same thing at all. The Kappas gave me a great sense of community, and I’ll add one more to the mix. The Center is a multicultural campus spot where if you weren’t white, you could go hang out and relax. I made a lot of friends there as well. I had these three safe spaces where I could have conversations I never had [growing up] back in Turlock [California]. I explored ideas and concepts I hadn’t been exposed to previously, so even with the demands of football, college allowed me to grow and develop in important ways. 

I revisited your NFL highlight reels and will confess to forgetting how ahead of your time you were. Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen were certainly watching. Do you hope to reclaim yourself as a quarterback, because in many ways it’s been overshadowed and even memory-holed?

I became the 49ers’ starter in 2012, which is when you start to see a broader shift in the style of quarterback play towards what we see today. Mobile with a lot of movement, beat defenses with your arm and your legs. I’m proud of what I accomplished, but the league’s response to the protest itself is the reason my career isn’t remembered in the way it should be. The NFL did significant work to delegitimize the on-field performances to justify blackballing me.

Delegitimizing is an evenhanded way of describing it.

Yes, it’s a very kind word. There was a lot of work done on that front by the NFL, but what gets missed in all of it is that if I wasn’t the caliber of quarterback that I was, nobody would’ve cared. I know how good I was because a backup QB would’ve just been shuffled off the sidelines and it would’ve been the end of it. My success as a quarterback is precisely why the protest drove the NFL crazy. 

To me, the biggest surprise in “The Perilous Fight” is that your first protest in Houston was impromptu. What was it that hit you when the national anthem played? 

At that point in time, there’d been a wave of police killings, year after year on a regular basis. By then, we’re also in a different era with social media. Historically, you look at the L.A. riots, which erupted only because someone happened to shoot video of Rodney King being beaten by LAPD. One person with a VHS camera. Today, we’re consistently seeing Black men killed by multiple cameras everyone carries around. These killings coincided with the reading and research I’d been doing to understand the historical context of police brutality. Walking onto the field for that 2016 game, playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” hadn’t crossed my mind. When I heard it I asked myself, what does this actually mean to you? 

Having a better understanding of the historical systems of oppression, as opposed to ‘one-off’ incidents, gave me a realization in that moment. What the United States purports to represent doesn’t represent me or a significant portion of the population. Why am I supposed to show pride in this? Steve Wyche caught me sitting in a third game, inquired, and I told him why. By the next day, the story had blown up well beyond sports media.

I joked at the time that you should offer to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner” in exchange for playing the never-mentioned third verse.

Right, dig a little deeper and the question becomes: What is the actual intention of the national anthem? Why would I ever stand up for that? Absurd. To your point though, sure, if we’re going to ring it out in stadiums, play the full thing. Get it all out there. 

There’s a major public misconception about when you changed tactics in the final preseason game and decided to take a knee. The oft-told tale is that former Green Beret and NFL preseason player Nate Boyer convinced you and teammate Eric Reid to do so, but that isn’t what happened at all. How did Boyer become part of the narrative?

The story came out that way because Nate Boyer positioned it that way. It obviously wasn’t the case, it was Eric and I. As I note in the book, I was a Black guy in a national firestorm and, supposedly, I reached out to a white guy I didn’t know to come and advise me on what to do during the national anthem? Laughable. It was Reid’s idea. The really telling part is that nobody in the media questioned Boyer’s version of events. Why? Well, if it’s Boyer’s idea, it’s a more palpable narrative to make a lot of football fans nominally comfortable. 

Eric and I had spoken to Nate beforehand, and he was supposed to take a knee with us and then at the last minute decided not to, which is its own situation altogether. It became a big decision for Eric and I. Should we combat this bogus story in real time, or do we stay with the protest message we’re trying to send? If the thing with Boyer becomes the focal point, then we’ve lost the impact we’re trying to achieve. We didn’t love seeing that narrative run rampant, but Eric and I decided it wasn’t the battle worth fighting. 

It’s a no-win situation, but Boyer’s story did steer the conversation in public circles to one of free speech, rather than police brutality, which are two very different topics.

Very different, indeed. How the protest is talked about through those two lenses was revealing then and remains so today. People who recognize what Eric and I were doing, see it as a protest against police killing Black people, the serious need to address that and systemic oppression more broadly. The free speech piece of it was always a deflection from the core issues at hand. 

Do you feel there’s a connective tissue from taking a knee to the mass public protests over the last decade, both the righteous ones following George Floyd’s murder, and opposite ones like Jan. 6? 

I’ve never thought about it that way. I mainly look at the anthem protest in terms of the wins we’ve had and the progress we’ve made, but also how much more work there is to do, especially given all the resistance to creating a fair and equitable society. How loud and vocal the other side of it has gotten over the last 10 years is both surprising and not at the same time. We’ve taken major steps back, but I’d rather have it all out in the open so we know what we’re up against. It’s valuable to know where it lies. 

Have you found the last decade disheartening?

At times for sure, but my hope is that the awful politics are part of a last-ditch effort. As far as where we’re at as a society, there’s a strong growing undercurrent of people saying “enough’s enough.” We’re heading in the right direction, but you have to weather the hard times. Keep playing offense in the storm. 

One savvy author’s move on your part is mentioning President Donald Trump as little as possible. I thought there would be more pronounced score-settling and was sincerely hoping you’d “motherfuck” the big man once or twice. Did you go back and forth at all about your impressive restraint?

Look, that man had a direct impact, working with NFL owners to blackball me. That exists, that’s real, so there is plenty I could say about him personally—

Wouldn’t it feel good just saying it out loud?  

Maybe, but I know in many ways that’s what they want. They want to be the center of the story and have relevance and influence in that way. Him in particular. There’s obviously a level of power and influence that comes with his position, but I don’t have to lean into that or accept it. I’m trying to stay focused on what’s most important. He doesn’t fit the bill. 

Given the nightmare CTE report that came out this week combined with distance from your playing days, does your brain thank you for missing out on a decade of head shots, even if your heart says otherwise?

It’s a both/and answer. There’s my love of playing football, nothing else like it, with its competitive nature, the camaraderie of a group of guys coming together to win. You put yourself through so much it makes success incredibly rewarding in ways you can’t find anywhere else. And yet, there are serious consequences. I haven’t even read this week’s report yet, but I remember the one where they had more than a hundred players and every single one of them had CTE except for one, a kicker I think. If you want to play, be a kicker. 

The physical consequences of football are real. My wife, Nessa Diab, and I have asked the question so many families are asking. If we have a son, will we let him play football? As a parent who knows the undeniable impact, I would like him to play other sports. In football, CTE is not an if, it’s a when. You don’t want to put your child in that situation. 

On a personal level, I played football for 20-plus years, so time will tell the damage done, but am I glad I saved myself some hits? Yes. Would I love to get back out on the field? Absolutely. 

You write about Jay-Z, who supported you on “Saturday Night Live,” then ignored you, later tried to co-opt you after Roc Nation partnered with the NFL, and then last summer, after the book was finished, called you out at Yankee Stadium. Do you think these will be the tabloid headlines to emerge out of “The Perilous Fight?”

I’m not sure, because there are so many different topical pieces in the book. Like the Nate Boyer story isn’t known, hasn’t been talked or written about, so I think there will be a good amount there. On the Jay-Z side, this is repetitive behavior that there’s been conversations about for quite a while. There may be some surprise around specific details, but Jay-Z’s overall actions won’t be shocking to anyone who has paid attention. 

As noted in “The Perilous Fight,” you do not watch the NFL at all, but I’m curious if you’ve seen clips of Eminem taking a knee during the halftime show of Super Bowl LVI?

I had friends text me about it, but I’ve never seen it because I don’t engage. I hope solidarity is the case. And if so, while I don’t love anyone who is now doing the Super Bowl show because of the Jay-Z deal, I appreciate the sentiment. 

Finally, looking back, can you believe how the last 10 years have played out? How you became a monumental public figure — and all of the fallout that came along with it — for a generally mild act of protest against an ongoing life-and-death problem for communities of color? It’s mind-blowing, no?  

It really speaks to the fragility of a certain portion of society. In basic form, I’m protesting police killing Black people. The flip side of resistance to this simple human concept is — what? Police should be killing Black people? Yes, I’ve been in the center spotlight, but I’m also part of a larger movement of people publicly screaming, “Hey, you shouldn’t be killing us!”

It’s the lowest of bars to get over.