Some people watch the Super Bowl just for the halftime show and commercials.
To most of them, Lady Gaga’s 13-minute performance inside of a 30-plus minute break from game action during Super Bowl LI was captivating.
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To Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, it was disruptive.
The Rutgers product told NFL Network that the extended halftime show contributed to Atlantic’s collapse against the New England Patriots, who recorded a Super Bowl-record 25-point second-half comeback to win in overtime.
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A typical NFL halftime is clocked at 12 minutes.
“Usually halftime’s only like 15 minutes,” Sanu told NFL Network. “And when you’re not on the field for like an hour, it’s just like going to work out — like a great workout — and then you’re going to sit on the couch for an hour. And then try to start working out again.”
Sanu’s words were interpreted as blaming Lady Gaga, which he called “fake news” on Twitter — perhaps in a hat tip to President Donald Trump.
They just know how to twist things that’s all.. fake news is better than none.. https://t.co/jfRQJC6mNE
— Mohamed Sanu Sr. (@Mo_12_Sanu) February 27, 2017
NFL analysts said Sanu’s excuse didn’t carry weight because the Falcons extended a 21-3 halftime lead early in the third quarter.
“The thing I think that defeats Mohamed Sanu’s argument here is the fact that they extended their lead early in the second half,” ESPN’s Ed Werder said. “In the third quarter, they scored a touchdown that pushed their lead to 25 points. … Not fair to blame Lady Gaga.”
Added ESPN’s Antonio Pierce, a Super Bowl champion with the Giants, “You’ve prepped all week. You know going into this that the Super Bowl halftime is longer. So that’s an excuse that you don’t need to have.”
Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.
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