Don Arnold/WireImageThe NFL officially announced Sunday what everybody’s pretty much known for a while now: Maroon 5 will headline the halftime show at this year’s Super Bowl.
Joining Maroon 5 will be rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi, the latter best known as a member of “Hey Ya” duo Outkast.
The announcement put an end to months of speculation over who would perform during Super Bowl 53, with unconfirmed reports that acts including Rihanna and JAY-Z turned down the opportunity to anchor the halftime show in protest of the NFL’s handling of Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick, who was previously a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, protested racial injustice in the U.S. by kneeling during the national anthem before football games and hasn’t been signed to an NFL team since 2017. Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL in October of 2018, alleging that NFL team owners colluded to keep him out of the league because of his protests.
Grammy-nominated rapper Scott only agreed to perform during this year’s halftime show if the NFL joined him in making a $500,000 donation to the social justice charity Dream Corps.
“I back anyone who takes a stand for what they believe in,” said Scott in a joint statement Sunday with the NFL. “I know being an artist that it’s in my power to inspire. So before confirming the Super Bowl Halftime performance, I made sure to partner with the NFL on this important donation. I am proud to support Dream Corps and the work they do that will hopefully inspire and promote change.”
This year’s Super Bowl will take place at the Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta February 3. As for who will be playing, that’ll be decided Sunday, January 20: The Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints will play to decide the NFC championship, after which the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs will battle for the AFC championship.
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