The incident took place during Kendrick Lamar’s highly-anticipated gig at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday (9 February).
Amid cameos from stars including SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams and DJ Mustard, as well as thinly-veiled shots being fired at Drake, viewers had a lot to pay attention to.
However, the NFL and Roc Nation have since spoken out to insist it definitely was not.
During the gig, one of Lamar’s dancers was seen suddenly unveiling a banner which combined the flags of Palestine and Sudan.
The dancer then fled from the stage while security frantically tried to catch up with him.
Footage shows how the flag waver give some of the football stars a run for their money with his speed, although he was eventually brought down by staff.
The dancer unveiled the flag during Lamar’s performance (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
The NFL later confirmed that the person responsible was a part of the 400-strong cast who were on the field for the show.
The New Orleans Police Department told LADbible in a statement: “The individual detained in this incident, an adult black male, was ejected from the stadium after the incident.
“No arrest nor summons was issued. As such, the individual will not be identified.
“The NOPD continues to work with NFL and the halftime production team to ascertain any affiliation the individual may have had with the halftime show.”
According to the NFL, ‘the individual hid the item on his person and unveiled it late in the show’.
It added that ‘no one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent’.
The punishment which the performer-turned-protester is in for has now been confirmed by the NFL, too.
He will not face criminal charges but has been banned from NFL stadiums and games for life (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
The man will not face any criminal charges, according to reports, but has received a lifetime ban from US football stadiums and events.
In a statement to NBC, an NFL spokesperson said: “We commend security for quickly detaining the individual who displayed the flag. He was a part of the 400-member field cast.
“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.”
Roc Nation, which produced the halftime show, also insisted it didn’t have any idea about the flag stunt.
A statement explained that it ‘was neither planned nor part of the production and was never in any rehearsal’.
Security expert Will Geddes told LADbible that the protester being able to conduct his demonstration so publicly was a ‘massive failing of security by the stadium’.
