NFL Cancels Pre-Game Presser With Super Bowl Halftime Performers

ATLANTA - -The NFL announced Tuesday night that the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show performers will not hold their traditional press conference before the game, but rather "will let their show do the talking." Maroon 5, Big Boi and Travis Scott are scheduled to take the stage at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday in Atlanta, when the New England Patriots play the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

Instead of hosting a press conference, the NFL has begun "a cross platform rollout of behind-the-scenes-footage and content from each of the halftime performers."

Several local Atlanta media outlets, including the AJC, are speculating the NFL doesn't want its performers to be faced with questions about Colin Kaepernick, who hasn't played in the NFL since 2016. Atlanta is arguably the birthplace of the modern civil rights movement, and Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, gained international attention for kneeling during the pre-game national anthem. Kaepernick said he protesting over what he called racial injustice.

The choice of Maroon 5 to headline the show has also come under some criticism, with some social media activists arguing that the halftime show should showcase Atlanta's hip hop scene. Big Boi is an Atlanta native, and several internationally known, yet locally based, musicians are headlining pre-game shows and concerts around Atlanta.

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LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 07: (L-R) Keyboardist PJ Morton, singer Adam Levine and guitarist James Valentine of Maroon 5 perform during a keynote address at the 2013 International CES at The Venetian on January 7, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)