Shortly after the rapper concluded his individual performance of “Lose Yourself,” he knelt to the ground. Though a league spokesman would later deny it, a Puck.com article detailing the behind-the-scenes battle between Dr. Dre and the NFL suggested the league nixed a plan by Eminem to kneel, a la Colin Kaepernick.
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Per the article (subscription required):
Regardless of what the NFL did or did not approve, Eminem knelt. Dre’s line of “still not loving police,” another contested line, was also included in the halftime show:
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After the halftime show and Puck’s report, the NFL refuted the initial report.
Eminem, making his first appearance at the Super Bowl, didn’t explicitly say why he chose to kneel during his performance. That said, the artist has been outspoken against racial injustice. He released a single titled “Untouchable” in 2017 that addresses issues of police brutality, racial profiling and systematic racism.
Kaepernick began the practice of kneeling during the playing of the national anthem during the 2016 preseason and throughout the remainder of the year for the 49ers. He has not been signed by another team since the conclusion of the season.
So, you can decide for yourself on which side of the story to believe.
