• Loading stock data...
Friday, September 12, 2025
Tuned In is Almost Sold Out! Limited Tickets Remain!

Dancer Who Snuck Palestinian Flag Into Super Bowl Halftime Released Without Charges

The NFL said the Kendrick Lamar dancer was banned for life, while local police eventually decided to not file charges.

Lamar's dancers
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

A rogue dancer in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance won’t be charged after sneaking a Palestinian flag with the words “GAZA” and “SUDAN” on it onto the field. 

He was detained by Caesars Superdome security Sunday, but New Orleans police told Front Office Sports on Monday that he was never arrested or charged. The NOPD told the Associated Press on Sunday night that it was “working to determine applicable charges in this incident.”

During Lamar’s performance in the middle of the Eagles’ blowout win over the Chiefs, Zül-Qarnain Nantambu, a 41-year-old New Orleans–based artist, unveiled the flag and held it in the air while standing on the roof of a Buick GNX that was the centerpiece of Lamar’s performance and the title to his latest album. Nantambu, dressed in the same black sweatsuit as the other dancers, then jumped off the stage and ran across the field before being tackled by security. 

The incident with the flag did not make it onto Fox’s live broadcast of the show.

Nantambu was detained by security and later “ejected from the stadium after the incident,” a New Orleans police spokesperson told FOS

“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,” a spokesperson for the police department said to FOS

The NFL said in a statement Sunday that Nantambu had hidden the flag and that “no one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent.” Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s entertainment company that produced Lamar’s performance, echoed the NFL’s statement that it wasn’t a part of the performance and “was never in any rehearsal.” Nantambu is banned for life from all NFL stadiums and events. 

President Donald Trump was in attendance for the Super Bowl, a first for a sitting president, but it’s not known if he saw or was made aware of the protest. Trump has repeatedly called Gaza a “demolition site” after Israel’s 16-month war on the enclave, and he has recently said he wants the United States to take over the 25-mile-long strip.

Nantambu, a Muslim, told The Intercept that he planned the protest before learning that Trump would attend the game. 

I don’t get caught up in politics or anything,” he told The Intercept. “What’s going on in these places are inhumane. The civil war in Sudan, the oppression and the war and the tyranny that’s going on in Gaza, is inhumane. And these people are connected with us all as humans, and especially with me in faith.”

It’s not clear where or how long Nantambu was detained after the incident. Spokespeople for the New Orleans police referred FOS to Superdome security, which said to ask the NFL; the NFL in turn referred questions back to law enforcement.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

FanDuel, Jaguars Reach $5M Deal Over Employee Theft

A Jaguars employee stole $20 million and gambled much of it with FanDuel.
Charlie Kirk

NFL, Yankees Hold Moments of Silence for Charlie Kirk

The Green Bay moment was planned by the league.
Michelle Wu

Josh Kraft, Son of Patriots Owner, Leaves Boston Mayor Race After First-Round..

He challenged Mayor Wu over her support for White Stadium’s costly renovations.

Featured Today

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.
September 9, 2025

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.
opinion
September 9, 2025

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from NFL’s Week 1 Broadcasts

Many viewers decried the addition of ads to “NFL RedZone.”
exclusive

Zohran Mamdani Blasts World Cup Ticket Prices: ‘FIFA Is Becoming the Scalper’

The NYC mayoral candidate wants FIFA to cap resale prices at face value.
Donald Trump
September 6, 2025

Donald Trump Attending US Open As Rolex Guest

USTA asked broadcasters not to show “disruptions or reactions” to Trump’s attendance.
Connecticut Sun
September 8, 2025

Connecticut Senators Rip WNBA Handling of Sun Sale

The Senators are urging the league to stay out of the negotiations.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
Jul 13, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; FIFA president Gianni Infantino and President Donald Trump carry the FIFA Club World Cup trophy during the presentation after the final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium.
August 7, 2025

Swiss Politicians Want FIFA Chief to Lobby Trump for Tariff Relief

Could Infantino be a backchannel to Trump?
Saquon Barkley
August 5, 2025

Saquon Barkley Rebuffs Trump As Other Athletes Line Up Behind Him

The White House has had a barrage of sports announcements in recent weeks.
Derek Dooley
August 4, 2025

Ex-Tennessee Football Coach Derek Dooley Running for Senate in Georgia

Dooley coached at Louisiana Tech and Tennessee from 2007 to 2012.
July 27, 2025

Venezuelan Little League Baseball Team Denied Entry Into U.S.

The Cacique Mara Little League team was not allowed into the country.