October 8, 2025
Dickerson plainly expressed he felt about Bad Bunny’s upcoming Super Bowl performance.
Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson made a bold pronouncement to the 2026 Super Bowl headliner, Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.
In an interview with TMZ, Dickerson plainly expressed how he felt about Bad Bunny’s upcoming performance. The former Los Angeles Ram criticized Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny over his stance on America’s current political climate. Dickerson believes that if Ocasio is not enthusiastically patriotic, he should not headline an American sporting event with over 100 million viewers.
“I’m from the U.S. I love my country. And if you don’t like the United States, just get your ass out of here and don’t come over here.” Dickerson said to TMZ, “If Bad Bunny said something about the U.S., don’t come here and perform. You know, don’t come here. Stay in your country.”
As Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, Bad Bunny is a member of this country. When reminded of that, Dickerson doubled down on his stance. He continued to make a distinction between U.S. territories and mainland states. To Dickerson, the distinction matters regardless of citizenship.
“I know Puerto Rico is part of the U.S. But it’s not the U.S. That’s the way I look at it. That’s the way I feel,” he said.
Commentary on Bad Bunny’s upcoming performance has been ongoing–mostly due to his refusal to tour in the mainland U.S. for his newest album. Instead, Ocasio opted for a residency in Puerto Rico. Many have laid claims of American hate at Bad Bunny’s feet, but his own words state the exact opposite. While he is concerned about ICE officers’ treatment of suspected illegal residents, he does not hate America. In an interview with I-D, he explained his reasoning for inviting his fans to see him in Puerto Rico.
“There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate—I’ve performed there many times. . .But there was the issue of—like, f*cking ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about,” he said.
Dickerson did not address another issue many people have with the Solo De Mi singer’s performance; the crooner’s music is mostly sung in Spanish. As America has no national language and 45 million people in the U.S. speak Spanish, Ocasio’s catalogue will be understood by many. For those who only speak English, during a performance on Saturday Night Live, Ocasio has made it clear: “You have four months to learn.
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