Former New York Giants star Tiki Barber said he hoped that Super Bowl LX would be free from controversy amid criticism over Bad Bunny’s anti-ICE statements ahead of his halftime show performance.
Bad Bunny’s selection as the Super Bowl halftime show performer drew backlash among some NFL fans last year and the consternation grew after his remarks at the Grammy Awards over the weekend.
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But as the days get closer to the matchup between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, Barber suggested to The Associated Press he hoped the game is the escape that it’s intended to be.
"The Super Bowl is supposed to be an escape, right? We’re supposed to go there to not have to talk about the serious things of this country," he told the outlet. "I hope it doesn’t devolve, because if it does, then I think we’re really losing touch with what’s important in our society."
There’s a good shot it may not be.
Green Day, the famed punk rock band that is set to perform before Super Bowl LX as part of a ceremony to honor the game MVPs, has been notoriously against President Donald Trump’s administration. Last year, the band took aim at Vice President JD Vance.
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Bad Bunny has also expressed his displeasure with U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its operations across the U.S. The outrage against federal agents grew in wake of the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota.
"Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out," Bad Bunny said. "We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans."
Still, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell believed Bad Bunny understood that the platform he is being provided was meant to unite people.
"Listen, Bad Bunny is, and I think that was demonstrated last night, one of the great artists in the world and that’s one of the reasons we chose him," Goodell said. "But the other reason is he understood the platform he was on and this platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talents and to be able to use this moment to do that and I think artists in the past have done that.
"I think Bad Bunny understands that and I think he’ll have a great performance."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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