Rihanna turned down an offer to perform as the main act at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show, according to reports.
Grammy-winning singer Rihanna turned down an offer to perform as the main act at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show, according to reports from Entertainment Tonight and US Weekly.
It’s unclear what type of offer was in place. CBS owns the rights to the Super Bowl performance and did not immediately return messages left by USA TODAY Sports on Friday morning. Pepsi is the official sponsor of the performance and could not be reached for comment.
A representative of Rihanna’s management team also declined to comment on the matter when contacted by USA TODAY Sports.
According to Entertainment Tonight, another pop singer, Pink, also was in consideration for a Super Bowl performance, but a deal was never finalized. Pink sang the national anthem at the 2018 Super Bowl when Justin Timberlake was the headliner and received mixed reviews for his performance.
Entertainment Tonight reported that Rihanna said no because of “the situation regarding players kneeling” and that the recording artist “stands with the players and Colin Kaepernick.”
Kaepernick, an NFL free agent quarterback, started a movement in the 2016 season when he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest against police brutality and social inequality. President Donald Trump has condemned NFL players who take a knee as being unpatriotic and disrespectful to military members.
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