NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has defended the selection of Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl 60 halftime performer, insisting the Puerto Rican star will bring Americans together rather than divide them.
His comments came after Donald Trump branded the choice "terrible" and claimed it would "sow hatred".
In January, the US President said he would not attend the game and declared himself "anti-them" regarding both Bad Bunny and the opening act Green Day.
At a press conference on Monday, Goodell countered: "Bad Bunny is one of the greatest artists in the world and that's one of the reasons we chose him."
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The commissioner said Bad Bunny recognised the significance of the platform he had been given.
Goodell said: "This platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talent, and to be able to use this moment to do that."
The 31-year-old reggaeton artist will make history this weekend as the first solo male Latin performer to headline the prestigious half-time slot.
He is also expected to become the first artist to deliver the entire performance in Spanish.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has defended the selection of Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl 60 halftime performer
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Sunday's championship game in Santa Clara, California, is anticipated to draw more than 120 million American viewers.
Bad Bunny's appearance at the Super Bowl follows a landmark moment at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, where he became the first Latin artist to claim album of the year.
During the Los Angeles ceremony, he joined numerous other performers in criticising Mr Trump's immigration policies, declaring "ICE out" while speaking in defence of immigrants.
The audience responded immediately, with celebrities rising to their feet in applause for the first standing ovation of the evening's ceremony.
He added: "We are not savage, we are not animals, we are not aliens, we are humans, and we are Americans."
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Bad Bunny received a standing ovation for his speech | GETTYThe artist, who has topped Spotify's global streaming charts in four of the past six years, has deliberately excluded the United States from his current world tour.
He cited fears that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents might target his fans by conducting raids at concert venues.
When asked whether ICE enforcement operations would take place around the San Francisco Bay Area during the Super Bowl weekend, Goodell addressed security arrangements directly.
"Security's obviously one of the things we focus on the most," he said, describing the event as "tier-one level" requiring coordination between federal, state and local authorities.
Bad Bunny's appearance at the Super Bowl follows a landmark moment at the Grammy Awards on Sunday
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The commissioner said he had seen no change to preparations and confirmed the federal government remained "a big part of that, including this administration and every administration before that".
Goodell was speaking as Super Bowl week commenced in San Jose, with the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks arriving to meet supporters ahead of Sunday's title decider.
ICE has been at the centre of fury and controversy Stateside in recent weeks following two fatal shootings of US citizens in the city of Minneapolis.
Protests have erupted across the state following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both of whom were shot by federal agents during operations in the state of Minnesota.
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