The Super Bowl halftime show is always one of the most highly anticipated spectacles of the year in pop culture, and February's showing was no different. Grammy award-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar and artist SZA headlined the event at the midway point of the Philadelphia Eagles' eventual domination over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
Lamar had famously just been involved in a viral online beef with fellow rapper Drake where the two exchanged diss songs in consecutive days. The dispute reached a climax with Lamar's hit single "Not Like Us", to which the Los Angeles native performed in its entirety at the Caesars Dome in New Orleans.
Many thought the production was as successful as expected, despite a protestor that displayed a flag related to the war in the Middle East during the show. The protestor was arrested shortly after the Super Bowl on Feb. 9.
The protestor, 41-year-old Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, turned himself in on Thursday after being arrested and charged with resisting an officer and disturbing the peace by interruption of a lawful assembly.
This announcement has tied Nantambu to another recent incident as he was reportedly the victim of the attempted murder involving former Pittsburgh Steelers great Antonio Brown.
Brown reportedly tried to shoot Nantambu at a boxing event in Miami last month.
Their dispute originally began when Nantambu claimed that Brown stole jewelry from him in Dubai. The two then had a confrontation at the boxing event, to which things escalated and shots were fired.
The troubled NFL ex Brown remains at large and is, according to his warrant, instructed to post a $10,000 bond and remain at his house until trial. Recent reports reveal that Brown may have fled the country. He is facing an attempted murder with a firearm charge in Miami-Dade county.
Nantambu was allegedly hired by the NFL as an on-stage dancer during Lamar's performance, but was not expected to unveil the protest flag. Shortly after the unraveling of the flag that depicted "Sudan" and "Gaza" writing, Nantambu was detained and removed from the field.
“We commend the Louisiana State Police for its diligence and professionalism in this matter,” the NFL wrote in a statement obtained by TMZ. “We take any attempt to disrupt any part of an NFL game, including the halftime show, very seriously and are pleased this individual will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. In addition to the ongoing criminal case. The NFL banned the individual from attending any NFL games or events.”
Nantambu now faces the charges for his stunt in the Super Bowl while also being an important figure in Brown's objectively more severe investigation.
For Brown, 36, this is the latest in a disturbing string of incidents tying to legal and behavioral issues since his controversial end to his NFL career where he marched off the field as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was released in 2022. His nine-year career with the Steelers that featured four All-Pro selections ended in 2019 when he was traded to the Oakland Raiders.