Rapper Eminem took the knee at the end of his solo performance of his song ‘Lose Yourself’ at the Super Bowl halftime show. The gesture of kneeling became a political statement after NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick used it in 2016 to protest against racial discrimination and police brutality.
The NFL has denied reports that it tried to stop Eminem from kneeling at the Super Bowl. League spokesperson Brian McCarthy said, “We watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware that Eminem was going to do that,” The Guardian reported.
Kaepernick had knelt during a preseason game during the national anthem. Since then, several celebrities have expressed their support and solidarity with Kaepernick.
Legendary singer Stevie Wonder and his son Kwame Morris knelt before his performance at the Global Citizens Festival in 2017. Even Ava DuVernay, John Legend, and J Cole took to social media to support the cause.
Eminem has also been vocal about his support for the former NFL quarterback and even added Kaepernick in the lyrics of his single ‘Untouchable’. The lyrics are, "Somebody has to be the sacrificial lamb ... So they call it a Kaepernick tantrum …”
Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and Mary J Blige were also part of the Super Bowl line-up along with Eminem. The Los Angeles Rams won by 23-20 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Ever since 2016, Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL and many other players followed his example to use the act of kneeling as protest. The NFL was also widely criticised for the way they handled the situation. In 2020, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had also issued a statement, after the George Floyd case, expressing regret over ‘not listening to NFL players’.
“We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest,” Goodell had said.
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