Super Bowl dancer banned by NFL; won't face charges for flag protest

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A dancer who waved a "Sudan" and "Gaza" Palestine flag during Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime performance has been banned for life from NFL events, but won't face charges, officials said Monday.

"We commend security for quickly detaining the individual who displayed the flag," the NFL said in a statement obtained by UPI. "He was part of the 400-member field cast. The individual hid the item on his person and unveiled it late in the show.

"No one involved with the production was aware of the individual's intent. The individual will be banned for life from all NFL stadiums and events."

The incident occurred while Lamar performed his hit "Not Like Us" on Sunday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The man, who was wearing the same outfit as many of the other dancers, first unfurled the flag, which read "Gaza" and "Sudan."

He then held it up while standing on a car on the stage before jumping down to the field and waving it in front of the crowd of more than 65,000. Several security guards eventually brought him to the ground and escorted him out of the stadium.

"The act by the individual was neither planned nor part of the production and was never in any rehearsal," a representative from Roc Nation said.

The New Orleans Police Department said Monday that the man was ejected by NFL security and "no arrest nor summons was issued."

A YouTube video of Lamar's halftime show performance eclipsed 18 million views by Monday afternoon.