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Rihanna reportedly declined an offer to perform at the Super Bowl’s coveted half-time slot in support of Colin Kaepernick. The quarterback player was the first to kneel during the national anthem in 2016 as a protest against the racism that the black community still endures in the US.
Others followed his lead, prompting angry tweets from Donald Trump who said that NFL players should be suspended or fired if they did not stand and sing the national anthem. Kaepernick has been without a team since he opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017.
Rihanna “does not agree with the NFL’s stance”, according to US Weekly, so refused to perform at the Super Bowl in 2019. This year’s sporting event was watched by 103.4 million viewers, with former acts including Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Madonna.
Maroon 5, led by frontman Adam Levine, is currently scheduled to perform during the 2019 half-time slot on 3 February.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour,” said Kaepernick in 2016. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
From: Harper’s BAZAAR UK
