10/10 7:00 AM PT -- A source close to the situation tells us Rihanna did the interview with Vogue BEFORE Jay Z and Roc Nation partnered up with the NFL and her comments were NOT meant to be a shot at Jay.
Rihanna is opening up on her decision to turn down the NFL's invitation to perform at the Super Bowl last year ... saying she "couldn't dare do that" to Colin Kaepernick.
It was widely reported RiRi rejected an offer to perform on Feb. 3 2019 for the SB 53 halftime show -- the biggest entertainment event in the world -- because she believed the controversial NFL QB was being blackballed.
In her cover story with Vogue, the singer confirmed she was taking a stand against the league.
"I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people," Rihanna says ... "I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler."
"There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”
At the time, Rihanna wasn't shy about her displeasure with the shield ... and she even mocked the league in a video she posted while on an airplane during the Super Bowl.
The NFL ultimately landed Maroon 5 and Travis Scott for the Feb. 2019 performance.
As for the next Super Bowl, the league is teaming up with Jay-Z's Roc Nation -- which is helping produce the 2020 Super Bowl 54 halftime show starring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.
As for Kap, he's clearly taken notice -- retweeting several posts highlighting Rihanna's comments.