Rihanna turns down Super Bowl show in support of Kaepernick
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop superstar Rihanna declined an offer to perform at a Super Bowl halftime show because she supported former National Football League quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his protest against racial injustice, according to media reports.
US Weekly and other reports cited an unnamed source as saying that the NFL and broadcaster CBS “really wanted Rihanna to be next year’s performer.” However, she declined in support of Kaepernick, the first player to kneel as the national anthem played at a game in protest over racial inequality and police brutality against black people and minorities in the United States.
“They offered it to her, but she said no because of the kneeling controversy. She doesn’t agree with the NFL’s stance,” the source told US Weekly.
The Super Bowl is the year’s most-watched U.S. television broadcast of the year, regularly drawing more than 100 million viewers. The 2019 game will be played Feb. 3 in Atlanta.
Representatives for the NFL, CBS and Rihanna did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Bernadette Baum
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