NFL Won’t Be Thrilled With Eminem After Rapper Defies League’s Request

Marshall Mathers III, better known as Eminem, took part in the Super Bowl LVI halftime show with a cast of other performers, but he was the one who reportedly defied a request from the NFL.

Eminem asked the NFL if it would allow him to take a knee during the halftime show at SoFi Stadium and the league told him he wasn’t allowed to do so, according to an initial report from Puck, which has since been picked up by countless media outlets. Well, the American rapper did so anyway Sunday night during a halftime performance that impressed just about everyone.

The league reportedly told Eminem, along with fellow performers Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar, not to do anything “too controversial,” as also noted by PennLive.com. The performance, at least from the outside, appeared to go off without any additional issue.

Kneeling in the NFL, as you may recall, gained steam during the Colin Kaepernick movement in 2016 and Eminem has spoke and included it in his past lyrics.

NFL reps shot down the rumors before the broadcast, according to The New York Post.

NESN’s big game coverage is presented by Berkshire Bank.