NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL isn’t considering dropping Bad Bunny As the Super Bowl halftime headline performerCommissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday, reaffirming the decision to put the Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican artist on the league’s biggest stage that has drawn criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump and some of his supporters.
Goodell addressed the Bad Bunny controversy in his press conference following the annual fall owners meeting. This is the first time he has commented on this step since it was announced late last September, and then it was announced It happened global attention, Including an increase In Bad Bunny’s music streams, along with the backlash.
“It’s been carefully thought out,” Goodell said. “I’m not sure we picked an artist where we didn’t have some negative feedback or criticism. It’s very difficult to do that when you have hundreds of millions of people watching their work.”
The 31-year-old artist, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, has been outspoken in his opposition to Trump and his policies. He decided to stay for 31 days in Puerto Rico, avoiding a stop in the mainland United States, citing concerns about the mass deportation of Latinos.
He performs in Spanish and is expected to do so at the Super Bowl.
“We are confident it will be a great show,” Goodell said. “He understands the platform he’s on, and I think it’s going to be an exciting and unifying moment.”
San Francisco 49ers are Hosting the Super Bowl on February 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It is unclear whether Trump intends to be there, although he has done so Appearing in person at major sporting events Much of his second term in the White House.
In an interview with the conservative news network Newsmax, Trump said he had “never heard” of Bad Bunny.
“I don’t know who he is,” Trump said. “I don’t know why they do it. It’s crazy. Then they blame some promoter who hired him for entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Goodell defended the decision on Wednesday, explaining that it was made because of Bad Bunny’s massive popularity.
“He is one of the leading and most popular artists in the world,” Goodell said. “That’s what we’re trying to achieve. It’s an important stage for us. It’s an important component of the entertainment value.”