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NFL-backed charity apologizes after backlash over resurfaced tweets about cutting dreadlocks

The head of a charity, backed by the partnership between the league and Roc Nation, is now apologizing.

On the first Sunday night football for the NFL season, some say Jay-Z and the NFL fumbled on a new social justice initiative.

The head of a charity, backed by the partnership between the league and Roc Nation, is now apologizing after receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was an old twitter post from the founder that set off the social media firestorm.

Earlier this week, the NFL and Roc Nation announced $400,000 would be given to two Chicago charities. But now the post has many questioning if the money went to the right place.

The now-deleted 2016 post showed Crusher Club CEO and founder, Sally Hazelgrove, cutting off the dreadlocks of two black teens with the caption, "another crusher let me cut his dreads … it's symbolic of change and their desire to have a better life!"

Many online were critical of the tweet, including director Ava Duvernay, who said, "shame on anyone supporting this full-on nonesense."

And another where she encouraged those with locs to share their pictures with #loclife, which went viral.

Hazelgrove told NBC the post was not meant to be insensitive, and she understands how her social posts could have been misinterpreted.

One of the men in the pictures defended the organization and its founder on twitter, posting a video.

"I cut my hair like three years ago," he said in the video. "That was something I wanted to do. I was tired of it, tired of gangbanging, tired of messing up. Now I'm a changed young man. Trying to see bigger and better dreams."

Roc nation and the league have not officially commented, but Roc Nation retweeted Kobe's video from their account.

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