Mariah Carey Shades NFL By Celebrating 'Colin Kaepernick Appreciation Day' During Super Bowl

Mariah Carey only tweeted once during the Super Bowl on Sunday night -- and it was a pointed message calling out the NFL.

Moments before the halftime show with The Weeknd, Carey took to Twitter to write, "Happy Colin Kaepernick Appreciation Day!"

The message went up at 5:27pm PT, which would have been moments after an ad from the NFL aired touting its "Inspire Change" social justice initiative.

The spot included a pledge from the organization of $250 million, which will be doled out over a 10-year period to help combat systemic racism.

Kaepernick, of course, became the subject of controversy in 2016 when he refused to stand for the national anthem to protest police brutality.

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," he said at the time. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

His supporters joined the #TakeAKnee movement both on the field and on social media, while critics accused him of being unpatriotic and ungrateful -- to the point that President Donald Trump called for the "sons of bitches" kneeling during the anthem to be kicked out of the NFL.

In 2019, Kaepernick and Eric Reid reached a settlement with the NFL after claiming owners and league officials colluded to keep them off their teams because they chose to take a knee. Kaepernick still remains unsigned by any pro football team.

Carey also celebrated another social media holiday during the Super Bowl, responding to a fan who wrote, "Don't forget it's also Janet Jackson appreciation day" by adding, "Yes it is!"

The trend began in 2018, when Justin Timberlake performed during the halftime show. At the time, fans were upset over the infamous halftime show in which Timberlake exposed Janet's breast. Justin suffered no slowdown whatsoever and was even invited back to perform, while many believe it derailed Janet's career.

For many, the backlash that Jackson suffered and Timberlake apparently did not was indicative of the systemic racism and sexism of the entertainment industry. Jackson was the one the media focused on, she had to release a public apology and many in the public at large turned on her as well.