Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson has made it crystal clear that he won’t miss Beyonce’s half-time performance at their game against the Houston Texans even if it means missing team duties.
The ‘Crazy in Love’ icon will perform on Christmas Day at the NRG Stadium. Despite the fact Jackson will be in the midst of a crucial game, the quarterback has made plans to catch the unmissable show.
“I’m going to go out there and watch,” he said. “[It will be my] first time seeing Beyonce perform, and it’s at our game – that’s dope. I’m going to go out and watch. Sorry [head coach John] Harbaugh, sorry. Sorry, fellas.”
Jackson has even conceded that the scoreline of the game at half time will not sway his decision. He added: “No, I’m not even thinking about the lead. I was just thinking about just seeing Beyonce for the first time. Not saying it like that; no disrespect or [anything], because I know how people can take things.”
It’s not just Jackson who’s buzzing with anticipation in the locker room. Despite being the Ravens’ head coach, Harbaugh did bring a touch of lighthearted caution to his players about attempting to catch the superstar’s show, reports the Express US.
“I can’t say I’m a huge Beyonce fan, but I think I like her,” he said. “Is she doing country [music] now? You think some of those country songs will be in there? You’ll have to report to me on that.”
When informed that Beyonce had previously graced the stage at Super Bowl XLVII a game where the Ravens beat the 49ers 34-31 Harbaugh added: “Did she? That’s good to know. I do remember that now.” He did, however, also add a clear message to his players, saying: “Focus, focus.”
The half-time show has caught the attention of NFL players before. Back in February 2022, Evan McPherson of the Cincinnati Bengals made headlines for coming back from half time early during Super Bowl LVI to catch a host of star-studded performances from the likes of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent.
Reflecting on that choice, McPherson said to The Athletic: “Looking back on it, if there was a camera in my face, I wouldn’t stay out there. I get how it looked. It probably looked pretty bad. I probably wouldn’t do it again, but no regrets.”
Special teams coordinator and assistant head coach for the Bengals, Darrin Simmons, publicly voiced his displeasure regarding the situation involving McPherson and long snapper Clark Harris. He took them to task for not being present in the locker room, saying: “It’s triple, it’s triple-y bad. It’s embarrassing.”
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