After watching Bad Bunny’s comments during Sunday’s Grammy Awards, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says that he doesn’t think the Latino music superstar will make a political statement during the Super Bowl halftime show.
Goodell spoke about his expectations for Bad Bunny’s performance at a press conference during Super Bowl Week in California on Monday night, saying he will “unite” the crowd.
“Bad Bunny, I think that was demonstrated last night, is one of the great artists in the world,” Goodell said during his press conference. “That’s one of the reasons we chose him.
“But the other reason is he understood the platform he was on and that this platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talents and to be able to use this moment to do that.
“I think artists in the past have done that. I think Bad Bunny understands it and I think he’ll have a great performance.”
Goodell also reaffirmed that federal agents will be present at the Super Bowl, as well as officers from state and municipal levels, as it is considered a Tier 1. He also explained that this is not a new situation for the annual championship game.
What did Bad Bunny say at the Grammys?
Bad Bunny opened his speech after winning album of the year at the Grammys by slamming ICE — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — saying “ICE out” and that “we are not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens.”
“We are humans and we are Americans. I know it’s tough not to hate these days,” he said. “The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. So please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love.”
Despite being Spotify’s most-streamed artist globally last year, the NFL has repeatedly faced calls to replace the Latin musician at this Sunday’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
“Is the @NFL incapable of reading the room?” Sebastian Gorka, Trump’s senior director for counter terrorism, posted on X after Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, was selected.
A Change.org petition was started, imploring the NFL to hire country artist George Strait to replace him.
According to an anonymous player survey recently conducted by The Athletic, 58.6% of NFL players polled liked the pick of Bad Bunny for the halftime show while 41.1% disagreed with it.
Who is playing the alternative halftime show?
Kid Rock will be taking on Bad Bunny as he headlines Turning Point USA’s alternative halftime show during Super Bowl 60.
The Michigan rocker, who is a close ally of President Donald Trump, will be joined by country artists Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett for Turning Point USA’s All-American Halftime Show.
According to a press release, the show “will be a unique, patriotic event proudly celebrating American culture, freedom, and faith.”
Bad Bunny’s performance will be aired on NBC, TSN and CTV, with the All-American Halftime Show set to stream on Turning Point USA’s social media channels, including YouTube, X, and Rumble.
Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet said the group wants to “provide an entertainment option that will be fun, excellent, and exciting for the entire family while millions are gathered together for the big game.”
–With files from Mark Daniell