NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after Bad Bunny’s Grammy speech: Political statements have no place at the Super Bowl. The backgrounds.
On the night of Sunday, February 8, 2025, one of the biggest sporting events of the year, the 60th Super Bowl, will take place in Santa Clara, California. As the NFL’s top two teams compete for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy, there is also traditionally a lot of focus on the game’s halftime show. The Puerto Rican reggaetón artist Bad Bunny will perform there. The focus now is on whether he can also comment on politics in the country in addition to music.
Political statements during the show?
The socio-political situation in the USA is more heated than ever. Since Donald Trump began his second term in office, there has been a harsh tone, particularly towards Latin American migrants. Customs and Immigration Services (ICE) is enforcing deportations in radical ways. This and the Trump administration have received a lot of criticism for this, and there have been demonstrations against the approach in some cases. In recent weeks there have been escalations between demonstrators and authorities, particularly in the city of Minneapolis. Three people were killed by ICE agents in clashes between them.
The Grammys were awarded on Sunday, February 1, 2026 – and they also became a stage for political statements. Bad Bunny, who won Album of the Year, used his acceptance speech to say anti-ICE: “Before I thank God, I say: ICE out!” He also stood up for his fellow Latin Americans in the USA: “We are not savages, we are not animals, we are not aliens; we are humans and we are Americans.”
Now the next big date is his Super Bowl appearance, which he could use to make a statement. The question is: Will it also be political on the big stage of the Super Bowl? And who wants to forbid him? Well…
NFL boss with a clear statement
On Monday, February 2, 2026, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell held a press conference to preview the upcoming event. He was asked about two things: what the presence of ICE agents was like around Sunday’s game in Santa Clara and whether he expected a similar statement from Bad Bunny to the one at the Grammys. Regarding the former, Goodell simply said that he wanted to maintain the consistently high safety standards as in previous years. However, when it came to the topic of the halftime show, he became more explicit. He explained to reporters that the Super Bowl was not the time for divisive political statements and that he believed that Bad Bunny had “understood” this task.
He also said about the artist: “Bad Bunny – that was already proven last night – is one of the greatest artists in the world.” The 66-year-old continued: “That’s one of the reasons why we chose him. But the other reason is that he understands the importance of this platform. This platform is about uniting people, bringing them together with their creativity and talents and using this moment. Artists have done that in the past. I think Bad Bunny understands that and I’m confident he’ll deliver a great performance.”
The NFL boss’s message is clear: Political statements that divide people rather than bring them together are undesirable.
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Pre-order now: Exclusive 7-inch single “Baltimore”/“Stare” by Prince in MUSIKEXPRRESS 03/26
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