Rihanna has confirmed reports she turned down the chance to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl.
The singer tells Vogue magazine she was invited to headline the half-time show but declined the offer to show her support for American football star Colin Kaepernick, who has been blacklisted by the sport’s officials for kneeling during the National Anthem before games.
The quarterback’s stance, staged to protest police brutality towards African-Americans, was adopted by several players on the sidelines before games, and Rihanna was a big fan.
“I couldn’t dare do that (perform at the Super Bowl),” she explains. “For what? Who gains from that? Not my people.
“I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization (National Football League) that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”
Instead, Maroon 5 headlined the show.
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira were recently announced as the headliners of the big game in Miami, Florida in February (2020).
