Hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs said Sunday night he’s interested in buying the Carolina Panthers and signing quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has been unemployed this season after kneeling during the national anthem in 2016.
Panthers owner Jerry Richardson announced Sunday he would be selling the team after the 2017 season, just hours after Sports Illustrated published accusations of sexual misconduct from former employees. Richardson also allegedly used a racial slur about a team scout.
Diddy took to Twitter soon after the Panthers announced the upcoming sale, declaring his desire to own a team and increase diversity among NFL ownership.
{mosads}In a video posted to Instagram on Sunday night, Combs said “I would be the best NFL owner you could imagine. I will immediately address the Colin Kaepernick situation, and put him in the running for next year’s starting quarterback. It’s just competition baby, it’s just competition.”
Kaepernick responded Sunday morning, saying “I want in on the ownership group!”
Other athletes, including NBA star Stephen Curry and former NFL player Greg Jennings, responded to Combs saying they were interested in part-owning the team.
Former league MVP Cam Newton is the team’s current quarterback.
Kaepernick has been a free agent since the end of the 2016 season, when he made headlines for kneeling during the national anthem before games to protest issues of racial inequality.
President Trump has criticized Kaepernick directly, saying the NFL should have suspended him for the demonstration. He has since taken aim at other players who have knelt or sat during the anthem during the 2017 season.
– This story was updated at 11:03 A.M. EST.