NFL has Maroon 5 skip the traditional Super Bowl week press conference

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The Super Bowl halftime performer traditionally takes questions from the media on the Thursday before the big game. But perhaps because Maroon 5's selection has proven controversial, the NFL released a Twitter statement saying that "instead of hosting a press conference," there will be a "social and digital media rollout" across "our owned and operated media assets as well as through the platforms of the artists." As The Athletic NFL reporter Lindsay Jones explains, "for context, the halftime artist always does a press conference. Prince didn't take questions, he just performed. Beyonce mic dropped with an acapella version of the Star Spangled Banner." Wall Street Journal sports writer Jason Gay adds: "Maroon 5 doesn’t have the guts to take on the sharp-edged knives of Super Bowl media week, what is this planet coming to?" Meanwhile, earlier today, Maroon 5 and the NFL announced a $500,000 charity donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America as part of the league's #InspireChange social justice initiative.