The NFL is not considering dropping Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime headliner, commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday, confirming a decision to bring the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican artist to the league's main stage that drew criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump and some of his supporters.
Goodell addressed the “Bad Bunny” controversy at his press conference following the annual fall owners meeting. This is the first time he has commented on this the move, announced at the end of September, attracted worldwide attentionincluding increased listening to Bad Bunny's music as well as 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 there are 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, acknowledging that more talent could be added to the lineup along 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 will host the Super Bowl on February 8th at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It's unclear whether Trump plans to attend, although in-person attendance at major sporting events has become a big part 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 sneak since an attempt to ban it narrowly failed in the spring.
Vincent said the main problem is how difficult it is to execute the maneuver that the Philadelphia Eagles have so often successfully executed. 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 have no proposals to resume this process. It wouldn't surprise me if things change. 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 when you add in the number of kickoffs,” Goodell said. “You will get more fouls. You will receive different sets of fouls. You’ll have a little (longer) game length.”
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 of moving to an 18-game regular season and other collective bargaining will 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 questions that we are going to raise and I'm sure the players will raise them and that's the way it should be. This is the essence of collective bargaining. They will take time to make sure that they are ready, that they are 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.
