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The NFL will not drop Bad Bunny as its Super Bowl half-time headline performer, commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday.
In doing so, Goodell reaffirmed a decision to put the Puerto Rican artist on the league’s biggest stage, something that led to criticism from Donald Trump and some of his supporters.
Goodell addressed the controversy at his news conference following the annual fall owners meeting. It is the first time he has commented on a move that has garnered worldwide attention, including an increase in streams of Bad Bunny’s music, along with backlash.
“It’s carefully thought through,” Goodell said. “I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism. It’s pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching.”
Bad Bunny, who was born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has been a vocal opponent of Trump. He recently decided to do a 31-day residency in Puerto Rico, avoiding stops in the mainland US, citing concerns about the mass deportation of Latinos.
The 31-year-old performs in Spanish and is expected to do so at the Super Bowl.
“We’re confident it’s going to be a great show,” Goodell said. “He understands the platform that he’s on, and I think it’s going to be exciting and a united moment.”
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting the Super Bowl on 8 February at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It is unclear if Trump plans to be there, though he has made appearing in person at major sporting events a significant part of his second term.
Trump in an interview on conservative news network Newsmax said he had “never heard of” Bad Bunny.
“I don’t know who he is,” Trump said. “I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s, like, crazy. And then they blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Goodell defended the decision on Wednesday, explaining it was made because of Bad Bunny’s immense popularity.
“He’s one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world,” Goodell said. “That’s what we try to achieve. It’s an important stage for us. It’s an important element to the entertainment value.”
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