Despite apparent NFL protests, Eminem kneeled on stage during his Super Bowl 2022 halftime show performance, which has been utilized as a form of protest against police brutality and racial inequity.
However, NFL representatives denied that the league had any issues with Eminem prior to his performance. Reps told the Post that athletes have been taking knees without punishment since 2016, so musical skill would not be held to a different standard.
League officials also knew going into Sunday that the rapper would take a knee because officials “watched it during rehearsals this week,” an NFL spokesman told The New York Times.
The report from Puck says league organizers “also flagged something that Snoop Dogg was set to wear as possibly appearing gang-related.”
According to a source close to Dr. Dre, the rapper felt "disgustingly censored."
The league was claimed to be concerned with a phrase in "Still D.R.E." — "still not liking cops" — because it did not want this performance to be a "divisive cultural war moment."