Rumours have been floating around that the NFL asked Em not to take a knee ahead of the show, but they’ve since been shut down.
Elsewhere in the 8 Mile actor’s stage time, he made a controversial move in taking a knee – an apparent tribute to Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee himself back in 2016 while the national anthem was playing as a protest against police brutality and police inequality.
Initially, rumours began flying online that the NFL had asked Em not to kneel, but a spokesperson for the league is clearing that up. When talking to the New York Times, Brian McCarthy shared that the NFL was aware of the “Beautiful” hitmaker’s intention to take a knee as officials had “watched it during rehearsals this week.”
McCarthy added that “players, coaches, and personnel were free to have taken a knee before today’s game, and that no one has been disciplined for taking a knee since 2016.” It’s also been noted that Roc Nation has declined to comment on what Eminem intended to signal in kneeling during his performance of “Lose Yourself.”
Apart from the loaded Halftime show – which LeBron James described as “THE GREATEST HALFTIME SHOW [HE’S] EVER SEEN” – viewers also got to watch beautiful performances of “America the Beautiful” by Jhené Aiko and “The Star-Spangled Banner” by country artist Mickey Guyton.
