Super Bowl halftime performer arrested for ‘Sudan and Free Gaza' protest

New York Times

7 hours ago

A man who held up a Sudanese flag with 'Sudan and Free Gaza' written on it during Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime show has been arrested for his protest on the field during the Feb. 9 performance.
Louisiana State Police announced the arrest of Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, 41, on Thursday, four months after the event in question. In a statement, the state police said Nantambu surrendered to authorities and was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center. He faces charges of resisting an officer and disturbing the peace by interruption of a lawful assembly.
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'The preliminary investigation revealed that during the halftime performance, a performer deviated from his assigned role, retrieved a Sudanese flag bearing the message 'Sudan and Free Gaza,' and disrupted the halftime show by running across the field with the flag,' the police statement said.
Police said Nantambu had permission to be on the field during Lamar's show as one of dozens of dancers dressed in red, white, blue and black. However, he was not permitted to hold up the flag, which he waved during Lamar's performance of 'TV Off' with Mustard, the song's producer.
The flag appeared in the background during the halftime show's broadcast, and viewers could see its holder jump from the stage and run across the field waving it. Security personnel tackled the performer and took him off the field, police said, after he ignored officers and security staff who told him to stop. Their response is visible at the 12:30 mark of the video linked above.
Caesars Superdome, the Super Bowl's host, announced the day after the game that the demonstrator would not face any charges, though the NFL said it issued the person a lifetime ban from league stadiums and events.
Sergeant Kate Stegall, a public information officer for the Louisiana State Police, told The Athletic in an email that they took over the case 'due to the nature of the incident, and the performer's access to a highly secured area.'
'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,' the NFL said in a statement Thursday. The league said it commended the state police for 'its diligence and professionalism.'
In an unrelated event, Nantambu is listed as the victim at the center of an attempted murder case against former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown. Brown, 41, is wanted for allegedly firing a gun at Nantambu after the two got into a fistfight outside a celebrity boxing match on May 16.
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According to an arrest warrant first reported by The Washington Post, Miami police responded after receiving reports of gunshots outside the event, which featured influencer Adin Ross. They reportedly searched and detained Brown, but found no weapons. Police did, however, recover two spent bullet casings and an empty gun holster.
The warrant said Nantambu told police Brown fired a gun at him, and that a bullet grazed his neck. It's unclear what caused the initial fight. Brown said in a statement after videos of the incident circulated online that he was the victim of an attempted robbery and was defending himself. Multiple witnesses confirmed Brown was the shooter, and clips shared on social media appear to show him punching a man and holding a pistol soon after.
Following reports Thursday that Nantambu was the man Brown allegedly shot, the former Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver posted on X that the two had a history of conflicts going back to 2022.
That guy is a fraud, liar, stalker & criminal
He was arrested in 2022 for stealing 6 figures of jewelry from me
He then showed up at my show at rolling loud in 2023 trying to assault me
Then in May he snuck into a gate at the event and came right up to me trying to steal from… https://t.co/x6i3PkP50b
— AB (@AB84) June 27, 2025
The Athletic was unable to confirm Brown's statements about Nantambu. Court records do not currently list attorneys for either man. A Miami-Dade County spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about the case from The Athletic.
Brown has made a series of social media posts in recent weeks indicating he is in the Middle East. Miami Police Chief Manny Morales told the Miami Herald last week that his department believes Brown is, or was until recently, in Dubai. Morales said Miami Police will not send officers to bring Brown back to the United States to face charges.