When Kaepernick left his contract with his team at the start of the 2017 season and was not hired elsewhere despite solid performance stats—raising suspicion that he was being blacklisted for kneeling—he filed a legal grievance with the league. By the fall of 2018, his followers had taken up a boycott effort in solidarity. Meanwhile, on the right, Trump has called for tuning out pro football because it’s not been more punitive to “that son of a bitch” Kaepernick and his peers. Into this maelstrom comes the supposed diversion of the halftime show. Rihanna, Jay-Z, and other stars have spoken publicly about declining the 2019 gig out of allegiance to Kaepernick’s cause. And the comedian Amy Schumer said she turned down a Super Bowl commercial because of the athlete. Still, after a reportedly difficult search, a willing headliner was found: Maroon 5, the Los Angeles septet that’s released airy-voiced diet-pop-rock smashes since 2002. In any year, Maroon 5 would seem like a suitably bland choice for the Super Bowl stage, in line with the smiley mass appeal of the previous performers Coldplay and Bruno Mars. Pop’s provocateurs can’t be called on every time. And in a moment of division, maybe the fact that no one can’t hum along to “She Will Be Loved” could be thought of as unifying. Perhaps since this is not really a band known for politics—the members seemed genuinely unaware of the “alt-right” connotations of their 2017 album title, Red Pill Blues—they would be exempt from the fray. But a boycott drive is a boycott drive: The point, for Kaepernick’s supporters, is that no one should sing. And so a petition with 112,000 signatures and counting calls for Maroon 5 to drop out of the Super Bowl, and some celebrities, such as Schumer, have echoed the message. The band’s keyboardist, PJ Morton, told People that they thought carefully about whether to play, and decided they could toe the line: “We can support being against police brutality against black and brown people and be in support of being able to peacefully protest and still do our jobs. We just want to have a good time and entertain people while understanding the important issues that are at hand.” On Tuesday, the NFL said the band would skip the traditional pregame press conference, a likely attempt to sidestep tough questions. Even more controversy has attended the black artists who have considered joining Maroon 5 onstage. At the outset, it seemed likely that hip-hop would be involved, given that one of the capital cities for America’s favorite genre is Atlanta, the venue for this year’s game. But a rumored half-dozen rappers or R&B singers were approached, according to Variety, and none said yes. Cardi B, an obvious pick, given that she has a hit single with Maroon 5, declined the gig “because of how she feels about Colin Kaepernick and the whole movement,” according to her rep.<doc-sep>Adam Levine has addressed controversy over Maroon 5 playing at the Super Bowl halftime show, saying, “No one thought about it more than I did.” Ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday, Levine spoke with CBS’ Entertainment Tonight about criticism over Maroon 5’s choice to take the halftime show performance, following months of controversy. A series of artists reportedly declined the gig in solidarity with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who started kneeling in protest of police brutality during the National Anthem in the 2016 season. “I’m not in the right profession if I can’t handle a little bit of controversy,” he said. “It’s what it is. We expected it. We’d like to move on from it and speak through the music.” Performers, including Cardi B, Rihanna and Jay-Z reportedly turned down the halftime show offer to stand with Kaepernick, who is no longer playing in the NFL. Earlier this month, the NFL confirmed Maroon 5 would headline the show, with additional performances from rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi. Scott said he and the NFL will make a donation to the social justice organization Dream. Levine said he put a lot of thought into the decision for Maroon 5 to take the Super Bowl stage and defended his choice. “I like to think that people know where I stand as a human being after two decades doing this,” he said. “I’m not a speaker. I’m not a public speaker. I do speak, but it’s through the music.” Sign up for our Entertainment Newsletter. Subscribe to More to the Story to get the context you need for the pop culture you love. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com.<doc-sep>The NFL made a move to avoid answering for the controversy surrounding its Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show by revealing that Maroon 5 will not be holding a press conference before the game. Past performers including Justin Timberlake in 2018 and Lady Gaga in 2017 have addressed the press before the big show to give them a taste of what to expect and get some exposure before it all shakes out live. However, on Tuesday, the NFL quietly released a statement via Twitter explaining that this year will be different. MAROON 5 MAY BE THE BAND TO GIVE INTO 'SPONGEBOB' FANS DURING THE SUPER BOWL “Maroon 5 has been working hard on a Pepsi Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show that will meet and exceed the standards of this event. As it is about music, the artists will let their show do the talking as they prepare to take the stage this Sunday,” the statement read in part. It went on to explain that, in lieu of a press conference, both the NFL and Maroon 5 would showcase behind-the-scenes footage and content on their social media platforms. Many see the move as a way to avoid direct questions about the band’s involvement with the Halftime Show following a slew of controversy since 2016 with regards to how the organization handled a protest movement sparked by former player Colin Kaepernick. The 31-year-old began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016, gaining national attention and even a rebuke from President Trump. In 2017, the player became a free agent after opting out of his contract. He was not picked up by another team and is suing the NFL for allegedly colluding to keep him from playing. MAROON 5'S SUPER BOWL WORRIES TAKE NEW TURN Maroon 5 has not directly addressed the controversy, even as many called for them to not participate in the Halftime Show as an act of solidarity with the protesters. However, the band did announce a $500,000 donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in partnership with the NFL. It was later revealed that the band’s co-performer, Travis Scott, made the charitable donation a prerequisite for appearing at the event. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rapper Big Boi is also expected to perform alongside Maroon 5 at the big game on Sunday. Fans were quick to take to Twitter to criticize the NFL for its attempt to subtly cancel the press conference. "NFL finds a way to avoid the conversation about the Cardi B and the others who refused to perform, shoves the Colin Kaepernick conversation to the side once again," one user wrote. "Definitely nothing else that's happened recently that deserves a statement, you're doing great," a more sarcastic user noted. "i.e. The NFL doesn't want Maroon 5 to be asked about Kaepernick," a more blunt user stated.<doc-sep>
Maybe there are not as many people calling for Maroon 5 to boycott the Super Bowl halftime show anymore, but now the weird drama surrounding this year’s halftime act has moved to whether the band would be available to the press. The NFL canceled Maroon 5’s press conference Tuesday, which every halftime act traditionally does during Super Bowl week, saying that the band wants “their show (to) do the talking.” But everyone else thought the decision had to do with the initial controversy the band was dragged into — Rihanna and Cardi B both reportedly turned down offers to play the show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, who still does not have an NFL job. Someone began a Change.org petition for Maroon 5 to follow in the others’ footsteps and boycott, and it was delivered to Maroon 5’s talent agency with thousands of signatures collected. When Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked Wednesday why the halftime show press conference was canceled, he chuckled and said, “I wasn’t expecting that one,” then launched into a convoluted answer. “When we have looked at how we do things around the Super Bowl — that includes press conferences, that includes announcements — we have all looked at how the world is changing. For us, and particularly for our artists in this case, one of the things they really wanted to do was be able to use new opportunities that we all have, through social media and other platforms, to be able to reach their fans directly, tease the show a little bit, make sure they understand the inside of what’s happening. “And I think both the NFL, Pepsi who’s our sponsor of that, and our artists are very excited about that. We think it’s innovative, we think it’s great for our fans and we support that. As we look forward to the future there may be more changes like that.” It isn’t the case that no member of Maroon 5 has commented publicly on the controversy. PJ Morton, who is black, told People two weeks ago he felt the band could be against police brutality and still play the show. “You can get bogged down by those things,” Morton said. “We’re not focusing on the negative now [while] being aware, being open, and definitely not ignoring the voices. But we’re definitely not focusing on the things that don’t help, that are counter-productive. We’re blocking out the noise. We’re just doing what we do. We look to have a good time.” Maroon 5 will perform along with rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi this Sunday at halftime. Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.