Eminem takes the knee in Super Bowl performance as NFL denies warning him against gesture

express.co.uk:

Super Bowl halftime show. Eminem knelt for the best part of one minute as Dr Dre played an excerpt of Tupak’s hit, I Ain’t Mad At Cha, on the piano.Eminem had reportedly mentioned the idea of kneeling ahead of his performance and rumours swirled that he was asked to avoid doing so by the NFL.The star's gesture comes as NFL rules still state that "all league and team personnel shall stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem" with players that refuse to stand being asked to "stay in the locker room until after the anthem has been performed".Following Sunday’s game, the NFL confirmed that it was aware Eminem was going to make the gesture, whilst denying they told him not to.In a statement, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said: “We watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware that Eminem was going to do that.”Eminem’s gesture was an apparent tribute to former quarterback Colin Kaepernick.The American footballer took the knee during the national anthem six years ago to protest police brutality.