Jay-Z’s move from helping pick Super Bowl halftime performers to headlining the show has raised questions, but NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is backing the rapper’s selection.
Speaking with Ebro Darden and Eddie Francis on the Oct. 27 installment of Apple Music’s “The Ebro Show,” Goodell explained how the booking came together.
“We’ve always wanted this to happen at some point,” he said. “It was something I asked him about, actually at the time when we first started this, and he said, ‘Yeah, we’ll see, let’s see what happens.’”
Apple Music, the NFL and Roc Nation announced the selection on Oct. 26. The booking followed reports that Jay-Z, whose company helps produce the show, had picked himself over other contenders, including Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber.
Related: Colin Kaepernick’s Memoir Calling Out Jay-Z Debuts at No. 1
The decision has drawn scrutiny and renewed attention on Jay-Z’s complicated relationship with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
In a September interview with NPR, before the halftime announcement, Kaepernick criticized Jay-Z’s decision to partner with the league in 2019. The former San Francisco 49ers star said the agreement undermined protests by Black players against racial injustice.
“His organization, Roc Nation, tried to recruit me as an athlete previously, which I had turned down at that point. And then to see him come out and sign a deal with the NFL, to deliberately undercut and undermine the protest is disappointing, to say the least,” Kaepernick said.
On The View Wednesday, co-host Sunny Hostin questioned what the partnership had accomplished beyond its entertainment value.
While calling Jay-Z a valid halftime choice, Hostin argued more work needs to be done to achieve racial equity within the league, including ownership and coaching opportunities.
“When I see the NFL today, I see 70 percent Black players, 9.4 percent Black coaches, only three Black head coaches. I also see that there are no Black owners of any NFL team, no majority owner,” Hostin said, adding about Jay-Z, “You can do well, but also do good. I think there’s more work for him to do within the NFL.”
Goodell’s comments focused on why Jay-Z wanted to perform. He cited the 30th anniversary of the rapper’s debut album Reasonable Doubt, his recent tour, and the game taking place near Los Angeles.
“He was pretty clear, ‘I wanna do it this year,’” Goodell said. “I guess I was more excited than anything, maybe a little surprised, because he keeps putting it off a little bit. But I think he’s already got his vision, he already understands what he wants to do.”
The commissioner also praised Jay-Z and said he had taken the halftime shows to a new level.
“He’s been so remarkable in helping us elevate the whole Super Bowl halftime show,” Goodell said. “He’s a genius, and not just a creative genius in a musical sense. His business sense, his sense of timing, his sense of what’s necessary in the world, he’s just got that. I trust him, and I trust his point of view.”
Super Bowl LXI will take place Sunday, Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Discover more from Urban Hollywood 411
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
