Tag: National Football League

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NFL chief Goodell shrugs off Bad Bunny Super Bowl critics

National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday stood by the choice of Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny to headline next year’s Super Bowl halftime show, a decision President Donald Trump has branded “absolutely ridiculous.”

Speaking in New York after the league’s annual autumn meeting, Goodell said he had no qualms about picking the Grammy-winning entertainer, who is wildly popular across the United States, for the NFL showpiece despite the backlash it had drawn from Trump and right-wing critics.

“He’s one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world,” Goodell said of the decision. “That’s what we try to achieve. It’s an important stage for us. It’s carefully thought through.”

Goodell said the NFL’s picks for the high-profile halftime show frequently elicited “blowback or criticism.”

Bad Bunny, real name Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, had already sparked right-wing ire after saying he would skip the United States during his upcoming world tour due to fears of immigration raids at his concerts.

The Latin megastar brought a fresh wave of controversy after being named to headline the Super Bowl last month, with right-wing critics infuriated at the choice of an artist who sings mostly in Spanish.

In an interview on Newsmax, Trump, who has regularly sparred with the NFL, said he had “never heard” of Bad Bunny.

“I don’t know who he is,” Trump said. “I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s, like, crazy.” He went on to brand the decision “absolutely ridiculous.”

Other conservative critics have joined the pile-on.

“Is the @NFL incapable of reading the room?” Sebastian Gorka, Trump’s Senior Director for Counter Terrorism, posted on X last month shortly after the announcement.

Former racing driver turned right-wing commentator Danica Patrick said separately on X: “No songs in English should not be allowed at one of America’s highest rated television events of the year.”

Bad Bunny has said his halftime act was “for my people, my culture, and our history.”

Puerto Rico, where Bad Bunny hails from, is a U.S. territory in the Caribbean. In June, Bad Bunny posted video footage on his social media channels from an ICE raid that took place on his home island.

Super Bowl halftime shows have traditionally attracted the biggest names in the music industry, including the likes of Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Prince and Paul McCartney.

More recent performers have included this past year’s headliner Kendrick Lamar, the rapper who cut out profanity but still performed a viral diss track of his rival Drake. (JapanToday)

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New York gunman was targeting NFL but went to wrong office, mayor says

A gunman who killed four people when he stormed a skyscraper in the heart of New York on Monday evening left a note that appeared to blame the National Football League (NFL) for a brain injury, the city’s Mayor Eric Adams says.

The attacker, 27-year-old Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, shot himself dead after opening fire in a building where the American football league has its headquarters, but went to a different part of the building after taking the wrong lift.

The gunman was carrying a note in which he blamed CTE, a brain disease triggered by head trauma, for his mental illness, Adams said.

Tamura played football as a teenager but did not play in the NFL, ex-teammates have told US media.

New York City police officer Didarul Islam, 36 – who was working as a security guard at the building – was among those killed.

Another of the victims was an employee of finance giant Blackstone, who was named by her company as Wesley LePatner.

Two male civilians were also killed. An NFL employee was also “seriously injured” in the attack, the league’s commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a message to staff.

Asked about a possible motive, Adams told CBS: “[He] did have a note on him. The note alluded to that he felt he had CTE, a known brain injury for those who participate in contact sports.

“He appeared to have blamed the NFL for his injury.”

Tamura was a football player during his time at high school in California, ex-teammates earlier told NBC News.

The gunman appears to have driven across the US from Las Vegas to New York, and used an assault-style rifle during the attack.

After opening fire in the lobby, Tamura is believed to have entered a lift to the 33rd floor of the skyscraper and continued to open fire.

Mayor Adams said a preliminary investigation shows that the gunman mistakenly went to the office of Rudin Management, which owns the building.

Tamura later turned his gun on himself.

The incident brought parts of Midtown Manhattan and public transportation to a halt. A BBC journalist at the scene reported seeing scores of police vehicles and at least one person with a bloodied chest being taken away on a stretcher.

Bystanders reported hearing what sounded like gunshots and police told those in the area, including the BBC journalist, to shelter in nearby buildings. (BBC)