NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana judge Monday found a Super Bowl halftime performer guilty of resisting an officer, resolving a misdemeanor case that stemmed from a brief protest that diverted attention from one of the most-watched television events of the year.
Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, 41, a New Orleans man who was supposed to be part of the choreographed dance routine for Kendrick Lamar’s Feb. 9, 2025, halftime show, instead displayed a Sudanese flag emblazoned with the words “Sudan and Free Gaza” while perched on a prop car, then jumped from the stage and sprinted across the field as security and law enforcement chased him, according to the Louisiana State Police.
Chief Judge Juana Marine-Lombard of Orleans Parish convicted Nantambu solely of the resisting-an-officer count, a misdemeanor, after a brief bench trial. She did not find him guilty of disturbing the peace by interruption of a lawful assembly, the original additional charge.
The state attorney general’s office hailed the verdict. “We appreciate the chief judge’s careful consideration of the evidence and the decision to hold this individual accountable for resisting law enforcement officers who work every day to protect our communities,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a statement.
Nantambu, who had been authorized to be on the field as part of the show’s cast of dancers in black outfits, surrendered to authorities after police obtained a warrant for his arrest. His attorney, Emily Posner, did not respond to a request for comment.
The judge set sentencing for June 1. Under state law, the misdemeanor resisting charge carries a maximum fine of $500 and a sentence of up to six months in jail. Nantambu has also been issued a lifetime ban from NFL events.
The Super Bowl halftime incident is not Nantambu’s only connection to high-profile legal proceedings. Court records show he is listed as the victim in a separate May 2025 shooting outside a celebrity boxing event in Miami. Former NFL receiver Antonio Brown is charged with attempted murder after authorities say he grabbed a handgun from a security worker and fired two shots at Nantambu, one of which grazed his neck. Brown has claimed self-defense. A trial date in that case has been set for January 2027.