Stephanie Amador / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
NFL players love to complain about the media and their anonymous sources. When that cover of anonymity goes in their favor, however, suddenly it’s not such a problem, as multiple players used that journalistic tradition to bash the league’s decision to select Bad Bunny as its halftime show performer. Bad Bunny will take the stage at halftime during Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots on February 8.
Hiring Bad Bunny — the most-streamed artist on Spotify from 2020 to 2022 and again in 2025 — to perform at the Super Bowl LX halftime show has turned into a controversial issue, as the country has been locked in a never-ending culture war for the last decade. Sensing an opportunity, The Athletic gave some unnamed NFL players the opportunity to perpetuate that bitter narrative, with some even going as far as claiming the Puerto Rican rapper is not a good example of “morality.”
Speaking of morality, New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs will be starting in the Super Bowl on Sunday despite recently being charged with felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery stemming from an incident in December.
Multiple NFL players bash the league’s decision to hire Bad Bunny for the Super Bowl LX halftime show under the cover of anonymity
“I don’t even know who Bad Bunny is. I always think it should be an American. I think they’re trying too hard with this international stuff,” an offensive player in the NFC told The Athletic.
This, of course, either ignores or is ignorant of the fact that Bad Bunny is from Puerto Rico, unincorporated territory of the United States, and is an American citizen. Maybe next time The Athletic’s “journalist” will press said unnamed player on what, exactly, he meant by ‘American’.
Furthermore, multiple performers since the turn of the century have not been American, including, The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, The Who, Shakira, Paul McCartney, U2, etc.
“I do not like it. (I’d prefer) anyone who’s synonymous with football and football culture. I feel like there’s tons of artists out there who are fans of the game,” another NFC offensive player said. “I think there are better examples of character and morality,” a player in the AFC added.
To be fair to the NFL, not all of the reactions given to The Athletic were negative, though, with a handful of (also unnamed) players expressing excitement for the performance.
“I’ve heard his music obviously, but I don’t speak Spanish so I’m not a big fan,” said one NFC defensive player. “But I do think it’s cool to have him, because America is based on diversity. America was built on immigration. So I feel like having him just furthers that American dream. I like it. I like the choice.”
“I think it’s pretty awesome,” another NFC offensive player said. “Some of his music is really good, man. When I was training, I heard it in Florida. I heard his music all the time. And it’s a bop, man.”
Seahawks DE DeMarcus Lawrence was asked about Bad Bunny’s halftime show and the importance to Spanish speaking people.
“We have so many cultures and ethnic backgrounds in America, I think it’s time to start embracing all of them … that’s what really makes America great.” pic.twitter.com/7dTrTMjbgx
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) February 3, 2026
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was certainly feeling good about the decision after Bad Bunny took home Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards over the weekend.
“Listen, Bad Bunny is, and I think that was demonstrated last night, one of the great artists in the world. That’s one of the reasons we chose him,” Goodell said.
“But the other reason is he understood the platform he was on, and that this platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talent, and to be able to use this moment to do that. I think artists in the past have done that, I think Bad Bunny understands that, and I think he’ll have a great performance.”
Given Bad Bunny’s status as a global superstar, there is the potential that this halftime show breaks viewership records, which is all the NFL ultimately cares about: reach.