NFL won't reconsider Bad Bunny SB halftime show

NEW YORK -- The NFL is not considering dropping Bad Bunny arsenic its Super Bowl halftime header performer, commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday, reaffirming a determination to enactment the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican creator connected the league's biggest signifier that led to disapproval from U.S. President Donald Trump and immoderate of his supporters.

Goodell addressed the Bad Bunny contention astatine his quality league pursuing the NFL's autumn meeting. It is the archetypal clip helium has commented connected the determination announced successful precocious September that garnered worldwide attention, including an summation successful streams of Bad Bunny's music, on with backlash.

"It's cautiously thought through," Goodell said. "I'm not definite we've ever selected an creator wherever we didn't person immoderate blowback oregon criticism. It's beauteous hard to bash erstwhile you person virtually hundreds of millions of radical that are watching."

The 31-year-old calved Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio has been vocal successful his absorption to Trump and his policies. He decided to bash a 31-day residency successful Puerto Rico, avoiding stops successful the mainland U.S., citing concerns astir the wide deportation of Latinos.

He performs successful Spanish and is expected to bash truthful astatine the Super Bowl.

"We're assured it's going to beryllium a large show," Goodell said. "He understands the level that he's on, and I deliberation it's going to beryllium breathtaking and a agreed moment."

The San Francisco 49ers are hosting the Super Bowl connected Feb. 8 astatine Levi's Stadium successful Santa Clara, California. It is unclear if Trump plans to beryllium there, though helium has made appearing successful idiosyncratic astatine large sporting events a important portion of his 2nd word successful the White House.

Trump successful an interrogation connected blimpish quality web Newsmax said helium had "never heard of" Bad Bunny.

"I don't cognize who helium is," Trump said. "I don't cognize wherefore they're doing it. It's, like, crazy. And past they blasted it connected immoderate promoter they hired to prime up entertainment. I deliberation it's perfectly ridiculous."

Goodell defended the determination Wednesday, explaining it was made due to the fact that of Bad Bunny's immense popularity.

"He's 1 of the starring and astir fashionable entertainers successful the world," Goodell said. "That's what we effort to achieve. It's an important signifier for us. It's an important constituent to the amusement value."