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10/22 13:13 CDT Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show is not being reconsidered,
NFL commissioner says
Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show is not being reconsidered, NFL
commissioner says
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- The NFL is not considering dropping Bad Bunny as its Super
Bowl halftime headline performer, Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday,
reaffirming a decision to put the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican artist on the
league's biggest stage that led to criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump
and some of his supporters.
Goodell addressed the Bad Bunny controversy at his news conference following
the annual fall owners meeting. It is the first time he has commented on the
move announced in late September that 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."
The 31-year-old born Benito Antonio Martnez Ocasio has been vocal in his
opposition to Trump and his policies. He decided to do a 31-day residency in
Puerto Rico, avoiding stops in the mainland U.S., citing concerns about the
mass deportation of Latinos.
He 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, acknowledging
there could be more talent added to the lineup along with Bad Bunny. "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 Feb. 8 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 in the White House.
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."
Banning the tush push has been tabled ... for now Echoing what senior VP of football operations Troy Vincent said Tuesday, Goodell said there has not been much discussion about the tush push quarterback sneak since an effort to ban it narrowly failed to pass in the spring. Vincent said the primary concern is how tough it is to officiate the maneuver that the Philadelphia Eagles have successfully executed so often. It was not on the formal agenda at this meeting, though owners did get an update on penalties and other football matters. "It's something we will continue to monitor on all phases, just like we do every other aspect of the game," Goodell said. "We don't have any proposals to bring it back up. It wouldn't surprise me if something does evolve. But it's not something we're really focused on during the season."
More from Roger Goodell at the NFL owners meeting Asked about replay reviews and the length of time they are taking, Goodell said game times are actually down through the first seven weeks compared to last season, despite a surge in kick returns after an adjustment was made to the so-called dynamic kickoff. "That's quite remarkable when you add the number of kickoffs," Goodell said. "You're going to get more fouls. You're going to get different sets of fouls. You're going to have a little bit (more) length of the game." Goodell said he had breakfast with interim Players Association executive director David White before one of the league's international games this season but expects any talk about a move to an 18-game regular season and other collective bargaining discussions to wait until the union chooses its long-term leader. The current CBA runs through the 2031 league year. White told The Associated Press last month that an 18-game season was not inevitable. "The negotiations will be a lot more than just simply the 18 and two (exhibition games)," Goodell said. "There are a lot of issues that we are going to raise and I'm certain that the players will raise, and that's what it should be. That's what collective bargaining is all about. They're going to need time to make sure that they're prepared, that they're ready for the negotiations (and) they have their priorities straight, and then we can begin negotiations." Goodell said work is being done to choose sites for the Super Bowl to cap the 2028 and ?29 seasons and expects an announcement on those next year. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Banning the tush push has been tabled ... for now Echoing what senior VP of football operations Troy Vincent said Tuesday, Goodell said there has not been much discussion about the tush push quarterback sneak since an effort to ban it narrowly failed to pass in the spring. Vincent said the primary concern is how tough it is to officiate the maneuver that the Philadelphia Eagles have successfully executed so often. It was not on the formal agenda at this meeting, though owners did get an update on penalties and other football matters. "It's something we will continue to monitor on all phases, just like we do every other aspect of the game," Goodell said. "We don't have any proposals to bring it back up. It wouldn't surprise me if something does evolve. But it's not something we're really focused on during the season."
More from Roger Goodell at the NFL owners meeting Asked about replay reviews and the length of time they are taking, Goodell said game times are actually down through the first seven weeks compared to last season, despite a surge in kick returns after an adjustment was made to the so-called dynamic kickoff. "That's quite remarkable when you add the number of kickoffs," Goodell said. "You're going to get more fouls. You're going to get different sets of fouls. You're going to have a little bit (more) length of the game." Goodell said he had breakfast with interim Players Association executive director David White before one of the league's international games this season but expects any talk about a move to an 18-game regular season and other collective bargaining discussions to wait until the union chooses its long-term leader. The current CBA runs through the 2031 league year. White told The Associated Press last month that an 18-game season was not inevitable. "The negotiations will be a lot more than just simply the 18 and two (exhibition games)," Goodell said. "There are a lot of issues that we are going to raise and I'm certain that the players will raise, and that's what it should be. That's what collective bargaining is all about. They're going to need time to make sure that they're prepared, that they're ready for the negotiations (and) they have their priorities straight, and then we can begin negotiations." Goodell said work is being done to choose sites for the Super Bowl to cap the 2028 and ?29 seasons and expects an announcement on those next year. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
