A Super Bowl protester who unfurled a Sudanese-Palestinian flag during Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show performance has been issued a lifetime ban from all NFL events, it has been confirmed.Super Bowl LIX was a night to remember for the Philadelphia Eagles, who secured revenge against the back-to-back NFL champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.After suffering a 35-38 loss to Andy Reid’s team in February 2023, the Eagles dominated on Sunday (February 9) with a commanding 40-22 victory.Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and the rest of the squad were denied a historic three-peat, a feat that seemed almost destined.Halftime entertainment featured a 13-minute showcase by Kendrick Lamar, including 11 songs, a live collaboration with SZA, and cameos from tennis icon Serena Williams, Samuel L. Jackson, and DJ Mustard.The 37-year-old rapper also used his set to reignite his ongoing feud with Universal Music Group (UMG) labelmate Drake, whom he boldly name-dropped during the performance.During Lamar’s live rendition of Not Like Us, a man posing as one of his dancers attempted to disrupt the show by waving a Sudanese-Palestinian flag.The banner was adorned with handwritten messages reading “Gaza” and “Sudan,” referencing the ongoing conflicts affecting both regions.
The NFL has confirmed the protestor has been banned from future live events
The man unfurled the pro-Palestine flag atop a prop car before running across the field.Eventually, security tackled him to the ground and escorted him out of the 83,000-capacity stadium in Louisiana.Following the protest, officials from the National Football League (NFL) confirmed that the individual, identified by NBC News as Zul-Qarnain Nantambu, has been issued a lifetime ban and will no longer be permitted to attend NFL events.”We commend security for quickly detaining the individual who displayed the flag,” the NFL told UPI, as reported by Yahoo. “He was part of the 400-member field cast. The individual hid the item on his person and unveiled it late in the show.”No one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent. The individual will be banned for life from all NFL stadiums and events.”
The incident took place during Kendrick Lamar’s 13-minute Super Bowl set
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Roc Nation, the entertainment company behind the halftime show, stated that the protester’s actions were “neither planned nor part of the production and were never included in any rehearsal.”Nantambu claimed his protest was inspired by his Islamic faith and his love for the Palestinian and Sudanese people who are suffering.“And I know it would invigorate their faith, seeing somebody supporting them and thinking about them on such a grand stage to bring awareness to their struggles,” he told NBC. “Maybe we don’t have the military prowess to stop the war, but we can at least do what we can to help those who are afflicted by these different atrocities in these countries.”
