Police Boycotting Super Bowl Halftime Show Due to Snoop Dogg’s Involvement

Some police have announced their intention to boycott the Super Bowl 2022 halftime show this year since Snoop Dogg will be performing. Snoop has been critical of police violence for years, and he just released a song called “Police” with rapper J5 Slap that includes some graphic lyrics. A few police groups have posted their intention to boycott the game or at least the halftime show on social media.

In “Police,” Snoop and his collaborators rap about not being able to trust the police, and encourage listeners to “take your guns that you using to shoot each other and start shooting at these b- ass motherf-ing police / that’ll impress a motherf-ing n- like me… Cause these police getting way too motherf-ing out of line.” On Friday, the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association official Facebook page made a post about this song, explaining that its leaders would be boycotting the Super Bowl in response.

“Encouraging people to shoot police officers apparently earns you a spot as a headliner at the Superbowl,” the post says wryly. “If you choose to watch the game at all, (we won’t be) halftime is a great moment to shut your TV off in honor of those men and women in blue who gave their lives for us.”

The post also included screenshots of a letter from attorney Anthony Capetola to the CEO of Svedka Vodka William Newlands, calling on him to drop Snoop Dogg as a brand ambassador over these lyrics. He wrote: “Long story short, and especially in light of the killings of two young police officers in New York City, it is outrageous that you would use this entertainer to promote your brand.”

Snoop Dogg was accused of having gang affiliations early in his career, which he denied in 1993. He became active in demonstrations against police violence starting in 2016 after the murders of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. He helped organize a peaceful march on the LAPD headquarters with other celebrities at the time. In 2020, he spoke about defunding police departments in a long-form interview with Lil Wayne on Young Money Radio.

“We need to start taking that money out of their pocket and put it back into our communities where we can police ourselves,” he said. So far, Snoop Dogg has not responded to the Suffolk PBA’s post or others like it. He is expected to take the stage as scheduled on Sunday night. The Super Bowl begins at 6:30 p.m. ET.