NFL releases statement on Eminem kneeling during Super Bowl 2022 halftime show
Many called the Super Bowl 2022 halftime show the best of all time. However, even the "best" show had its controversy. At the end of the show that featured Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Bilge, Eminem stirred up some controversy.
At the end of his song "Lose Yourself," the all-star rapper took a knee.
The act seemed to be in the spirit of the famous kneeling wave that has swept the NFL in past seasons. Rumor had it that the NFL told the rapper not to kneel during the show, but according to Fox News, the league has denied those allegations.
"That report was erroneous. We watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware that Eminem was going to do that," NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said.
Per the broadcast, the Super Bowl halftime show was the first rap-centric halftime concert. As such, it featured the biggest classic rap artists of the 1990s and early 2000s, appealing to those who grew up and spent their teen years listening to the artists.
Cooper Kupp: the real star of Super Bowl LVI
While plenty of stars, including Eminem, took to the field on Sunday, Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp rose above them all. The wide receiver proved to be the difference at key points throughout the game.
Early on, the wide receiver was double-teamed, opening up opportunities for Odell Beckham Jr. However, when the wide receiver went down with a severe knee injury, the Rams' hands were tied.
Do it to get a crown that will last forever.
They avoided Kupp as he was now getting double and triple-teamed, attempting instead to get the ball to Van Jefferson and Ben Skowronek. After a couple of quarters of offensive failures, the Rams decided they had no choice.
They had to risk throwing to Kupp in double and triple-coverage. Despite the attention, Kupp proved to be able to create windows for Matthew Stafford to throw.
Cooper Kupp's full season (21 games):
* 178 catches, 2,425 yards, 22 TD
* NFL regular season receiving triple crown
* Unanimous All-Pro
* Most catches in a single postseason (33)
* NFL Offensive Player of the Year
* Super Bowl MVP
One of the greatest individual seasons ever.
On the game-winning drive of the game, Kupp essentially took over the contest, eventually catching the final go-ahead touchdown on a goal-line fade route. But Stafford didn't throw it like a fade.
Instead, he threw it to Kupp's outside shoulder. The wide receiver was able to adjust and catch the game-winning touchdown.
Thanks to a performance in which the wide receiver caught eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, including a clutch run for seven yards on a Jet Sweep on a crucial fourth-down, the wide receiver from Eastern Washington University (and this writer's alma mater) won the Super Bowl MVP.