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The NFL is not considering dropping Bad Bunny from its Super Bowl half-time show following criticism from US president Donald Trump, according to commissioner Roger Goodell. The Grammy-winning Puerto Rican artist has been critical of Trump and the mass deportation of Latinos from US cities - referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as “sons of b****es” - and recently staged a 31-day residency in Puerto Rico rather than performing in the US mainland. Trump has said he does not know who Bad Bunny is and called the NFL’s decision to make him the headline act of the Super Bowl half-time show “crazy” and “ridiculous”. Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, performs in Spanish and is expected to do so at the Super Bowl. The 31-year-old was the third-most popular artist on Spotify last year and his streams have soared since his half-time performance announcement. “It's carefully thought through,” Goodell said at a press conference at the NFL’s annual owners meeting, in his first comments addressing the backlash. “I'm not sure we've ever selected an artist where we didn't have some blowback or criticism. It's pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching. "We're confident it's going to be a great show. He understands the platform that he's on, and I think it's going to be exciting and a united moment. “He's one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world. That's what we try to achieve. It's an important stage for us. It's an important element to the entertainment value.” In an interview with Newsmax, Trump said he has “never heard of” Bad Bunny and was critical of the NFL’s decision. "I don't know why they're doing it. It's, like, crazy,” he said. “And then they blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it's absolutely ridiculous." Rapper Kendrick Lamar performed at last season’s Super Bowl half-time show in February, focusing his performance on his rivalry with Drake amid a few more subtle political statements in front of Trump, who he had been critical of previously. Trump has attended numerous sporting events since the start of his second term as US President, including the Ryder Cup, the US Open and the Club World Cup. The San Francisco 49ers are hosting the Super Bowl on February 8 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
