Eminem took a knee during the star-studded Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday night, becoming one of the most talked about moments of the year’s biggest sporting event.
While performing “Lose Yourself” on Sunday night, the 15-time Grammy winner got on his knee and held his head. It appeared to be a gesture to free agent quarterback and activist Colin Kaepernick, who led kneeling protests in 2016 during the national anthem to bring attention to police brutality and racial injustice. Kaepernick has maintained he’s been kept off of the field because of the protests.
Since the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback became a free agent, other players have also taken a knee during the national anthem. In 2017, former President Trump spoke out against the players, saying they were “ruining the game.”
But after the murder of George Floyd by a police officer and racial justice protests throughout the country, NBA players and coaches from four teams took a knee during the national anthem in the first set of games in the 2020-21 season.
NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in statement to CBS News that they knew rapper was going to kneel during Sunday’s game, disputing a report that the league had told him not to.
“We watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware that Eminem was going to do that,” McCarthy said. “This was not an area of concern. A player or coach could have taken a knee today and there would not have been an issue.”
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The halftime show was a star-filled show, with 90s legends like Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Dr. Dre and Mary J Blige taking the stage. According to the Los Angeles Times, the show was a product of the NFL’s high profile deal with mogul and rapper Jay-Z.
Following the show, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 after a late-game touchdown.
