NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL isn't considering moving on from Bad Bunny. as the Super Bowl halftime headlinerCommissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday as he confirmed the decision to put the Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican artist on the league's biggest stage, drawing criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump and some of his supporters.
Goodell addressed the “Bad Bunny” controversy at his press conference after annual fall owners meeting. He commented for the first time on the move, announced at the end of September: collected attention of the whole world, including increase in Bad Bunny's music streams, along with backlash.
“This is carefully thought out,” Goodell said. “I'm not sure we've ever picked an artist that didn't get backlash or criticism. That's pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people watching.”
Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, 31, has been vocal about his opposition to Trump and his policies. He decided to live 31 days in Puerto Rico, avoiding stops on the U.S. mainland, citing concerns about mass deportations 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, admitting that more talent could be added to the lineup with Bad Bunny. “He understands the platform he's on and I think it's going to be an exciting and unified moment.”
The San Francisco 49ers are holding the Super Cup February 8 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It is unclear whether Trump plans to attend, although he has already done so. personal presence at major sporting events much of his second term in the White House.
Trump, in an interview with the 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 do this. This is just crazy. And then they blame it on some promoter they hired to do the entertainment. I think it's absolutely ridiculous.”
Goodell defended the decision on Wednesday, explaining that it was made due to Bad Bunny's enormous popularity.
“He is one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world,” Goodell said. “That's what we're trying to achieve. This is an important stage for us. It's an important element of entertainment value.”
Echoing what senior vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said Tuesday, Goodell said there hasn't been much discussion about the quarterback's villainy since efforts were made to ban him. I almost couldn't get through in the spring.
Vincent said the main problem is how difficult to perform duties a maneuver that the Philadelphia Eagles have performed so often successfully. It was not on the official agenda for the meeting, although the owners received an update on penalties and other football matters.
“We will continue to monitor this at all stages, just like we do any other aspect of the game,” Goodell said. “We don't have any proposals to restart it. I wouldn't be surprised if something changes. But that's not what we're really focused on during the season.”
When asked about replay reviews and the length they take, Goodell said game time in the first seven weeks was actually down from last season, despite an uptick in returns after an adjustment was made to what's known as dynamic kickoffs.
“That's pretty remarkable considering the number of kickoffs,” Goodell said. “You're going to get more fouls. You're going to get a different set of fouls. Your game is going to be a little (more) long.”
Goodell said he had breakfast with Players' Association interim chief executive David White before one of the league's international games this season, but expects any talk of moving to an 18-game regular season and other collective bargaining to be put on hold until the union selects its long-term leader.
The current CBA extends through the league's 2031 year. White told The Associated Press last month that an 18-game season is not inevitable.
“The negotiations are going to be a lot more than just 18 and two (exhibition games),” Goodell said. “There are a lot of issues that we're going to raise, and I'm sure the players will raise them, and that's the way it should be. That's what collective bargaining is all about. They'll take time to make sure they're ready, that they're ready to negotiate (and) they have clear priorities, and then we can start negotiating.”
Goodell said work is underway to select Super Bowl venues to cap the 2028 and 29 seasons and expects an announcement next year.
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