The last time the NFL denied a claim made by someone not connected to the league, Donald Trump quickly backed down regarding his claim that the league sent a letter expressing concern about the scheduling of two of the three presidential debates. This time around, it’s unlikely that the person whose version of events the league is disputing will cry “Uncle.”
Adele recently told an audience at one of her shows that the league offered her the Super Bowl halftime gig, and that she declined. The NFL and Pepsi, which undoubtedly pays many millions for the privilege of attaching its name to the event, issued a joint statement denying the claim.
Sort of.
“The NFL and Pepsi are big fans of Adele,” the league and the soda giant said, via Billboard.com. “We have had conversations with several artists about the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. However, we have not at this point extended a formal offer to Adele or anyone else. We are focused on putting together a fantastic show for Houston and we look forward to revealing that in good time.”
The key words in the carefully-crafted release are these: “Formal offer.” This means that an informal offer was made and rejected, eliminating the need for a formal letter or other communication aimed at reducing the terms to writing with an expectation of a formal acceptance by Adele.