After Kenny Stills ripped Jay-Z, Dolphins coach Brian Flores played eight Jay-Z songs at practice
New coach Brian Flores chooses the music at Miami Dolphins practice, and on any other day that information is of no use to almost anyone.
On Tuesday, it was very relevant.
Dolphins receiver Kenny Stills was critical of Jay-Z on Monday for entering a partnership with the NFL. Stills isn’t the first player to criticize Jay-Z. Stills also this summer said Dolphins owner Stephen Ross’ support of President Donald Trump doesn’t align with his RISE non-profit initiative for equality.
So what did Flores do at practice after Stills ripped Jay-Z? He had eight straight Jay-Z songs play to start practice.
Brian Flores plays eight straight Jay-Z songs
When it happened, beat reporters in South Florida were unclear of the intent. Was it a joke? Maybe, but a team spokesman said Stills knew beforehand what was coming (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald), which would kind of ruin the joke a bit. And you’d assume the joke would stop being funny after, oh, six or seven songs.
Jackson also said it was clear from talking to team officials that Flores wasn’t trying to disrespect Stills. Maybe it was done as a motivational tactic.
Regardless, the Dolphins got a heavy dose of Jay-Z at practice. If you’re curious about the exact playlist, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN gave the details.
Playlist to start Dolphins practice: “Show Me What You Got by Jay-Z, “Brooklyn We Go Hard” by Jay, “Ni**gas in Paris” by Jay and Kanye West, and “Run This Town” by Jay and Rihanna. All in a row. Would be an incredible coincidence after Kenny Stills’ comments about Jay yesterday.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) August 20, 2019
Make that five in a row. “On to the Next One,” by Jay-Z going right now.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) August 20, 2019
Another one: No Church in the Wild by Jay and Kanye.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) August 20, 2019
99 Problems going now. This is either some big-time trolling or the DJ is the biggest Jay fan ever.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) August 20, 2019
Kenny Stills has stood up for social justice issues
Whatever the reason, it was a bit of an odd decision by Flores.
Stills has been at the forefront of the movement to bring attention to social justice issues and racial inequality. His criticism of the owner of the team he plays for showed how important it is to him. He was reluctant to talk about Jay-Z, but he did admit the rap mogul’s partnership with the NFL for his Roc Nation company to manage some of the league’s entertainment and social justice ventures “didn’t sit right with me.” Stills still kneels for the national anthem.
Stills doesn’t have a problem speaking his mind. Flores might have had his own message.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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