NFL commissioner Roger Goodell backs Bad Bunny for Super Bowl halftime show: 'It's going to be a great show'
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is standing behind Bad Bunny as this year's choice for the Super Bowl LIX halftime show.
Speaking at a press conference at the league's fall meetings on Wednesday, Goodell doubled down on the decision by the league and Jay-Z's Roc Nation to select the Puerto Rican superstar as the Super Bowl halftime show performer, despite weeks of backlash from some conservatives.
"We're confident it's going to be a great show and that he understands the platform that he's on," Goodell said. "I think it's going to be exciting and a united moment."
Conservative critics have been outspoken about Bad Bunny's selection since it was announced late last month, with some citing his Spanish language music and performances and his outspoken support of immigrants in the United States amid recent ICE crackdowns as reasons he should not have been picked for the halftime show.
Bad Bunny sings almost exclusively in Spanish and is expected to perform in Spanish during the Super Bowl halftime event.
Others have claimed inaccurately that Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican artist and U.S. citizen, is not American.
The backlash has also included a Change.org petition to replace the artist with country singer George Strait and a counter-programmed halftime show organized by conservative organization Turning Point USA, to air during Bad Bunny's performance.
President Donald Trump also weighed in on the NFL's Super Bowl halftime show selection earlier this month, saying, "I've never--I never heard of [Bad Bunny]. I don't know who he is. I don't know why they're doing it. It's, like, crazy. Then they blame it on some promoter that they hired to pick up entertainment ... I think it's absolutely ridiculous."
Speaking at Wednesday's press conference, Goodell defended the choice, saying of Bad Bunny, "He's one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world," adding that the decision had been "carefully thought through."
"I'm not sure we've ever selected an artist where we didn't have some blowback or criticism," he continued. "It's pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching."
Goodell also hinted at the possibility of other guests joining Bad Bunny onstage, a common occurrence during Super Bowl halftime performances.
Bad Bunny was announced as the Super Bowl LIX halftime show performer on Sept. 28.
In a statement shared by the NFL at the time, he said, "What I'm feeling goes beyond myself. It's for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL."
In an Oct. 4 "Saturday Night Live" appearance, Bad Bunny, that night's guest host, delivered his opening monologue in Spanish, adding at the end, "If you didn't understand what I just said, you have four months to learn."
ABC News has reached out to a representative for Bad Bunny for comment on Goodell's press conference remarks.
