Chris Stapleton Reacts to Nick Sirianni's Tearful Super Bowl National Anthem Moment

By Daniel S. Levine

Chris Stapleton's acclaimed performance of the National Anthem before Super Bowl LVII had people in tears, including Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. After the game, Stapleton was asked about Sirianni's viral moment and what it meant to play before an audience of thousands at State Farm Arena and millions watching at home. Sirianni led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in just his second season as head coach.

"Man, it felt great. It really did," Stapleton told Entertainment Tonight after he performed "The Star Spangled Banner" with his guitar. "The energy was good and the crowd was hyped up for the game, so that kind of gets you ready to go."

During Stapleton's performance, the Fox Sports cameras caught Sirianni moved to tears. Stapleton told ET he had not seen the shot, and probably will not. "I don't know if I can watch it, man," he said. "I try not to watch myself back too much."

After the Eagles lost Super Bowl LVII to the Kansas City Chiefs, Sirianni, 41, was asked about his tearful moment. "I've dreamed about this since I've been two years old," Sirianni told reporters. "It's just emotional because there's a lot of work, not just by myself, but a lot of people. Starting with my wife and my kids, my brothers, my dad, and just so many people... It's just emotional in that moment knowing where we were."

Stapleton, 44, was the latest country singer picked to perform the National Anthem before the Super Bowl. Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan performed the song in 2021, while Mickey Guyton performed it in 2022. Troy Kotsur, who won an Oscar for his supporting role in CODA, performed the anthem in American Sign Language Sunday.

The Super Bowl also began with Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph performing "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds performed "America the Beautiful." Rihanna earned rave reviews for her halftime show performance, after which she announced she is expecting her second child.

The Chiefs won the game, 38-35, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes named Super Bowl MVP. It was the Chiefs' second Super Bowl victory in four years. Next year's Super Bowl LVIII will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, and will air on CBS.

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