Adele Turns Down Offer to Perform at NFL Halftime Show; Planners Say They Never Asked

The English singer and songwriter Adele has made rumors that she'll be the halftime act at the 2017 Super Bowl officially unofficial: She's not doing it, she says, even though the NFL has said they made no formal offer to the singer or anyone else for that matter.

Variety reported that Adele announced during a concert over the weekend in Los Angeles that she had been approached by the NFL to perform for Super Bowl LI (that's 51 for the Roman-numeral challenged) but that she passed.

“First of all, I’m not doing the Super Bowl,” she said, according to the magazine. “I mean, come on, that show is not about music. And I don’t really — I can’t dance or anything like that. They were very kind, they did ask me, but I said no.”

For good measure, she denied another rumor following her: She is not, she told the audience, pregnant.

Her decision still leaves the NFL with plenty of time to book an act for the worldwide show, which will be held in February in Houston.

On Sunday, NFL and Pepsi said in a joint statement that they are big fans of Adele but never offered her the gig.

"We have had conversations with several artists about the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show," the statement said. "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 Super Bowl halftime shows have come a long way since the game's inception in 1967.

At the first Super Bowl, fans were "treated" to University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band & Grambling State University Marching Band, Al Hirt, and the Anaheim High School Drill Team and Flag Girls, according to the good folks at Wikipedia.

The league had Beyonce, Coldplay and Bruno Mars perform at last year's halftime, which has become, for some audiences, as anticipated as the game itself. Before that, performers included Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz, Missy Elliott, and Arizona State University Sun Devil Marching Band.

The full list, as compiled by The Associated Press:

2014 — Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

2013 — Beyonce.
2012 — Madonna.
2011 — The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash.
2010 — The Who.
2009 — Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
2008 — Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
2007 — Prince and the Florida A&M marching band.
2006 — The Rolling Stones.
2005 — Paul McCartney.
2004 — Janet Jackson, Kid Rock, P. Diddy, Nelly and Justin Timberlake.
2003 — Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting.
2002 — U2.
2001 — "The Kings of Rock and Pop" featuring Aerosmith, 'N'Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly.
2000 — "A Tapestry of Nations" featuring Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and an 80-person choir.
1999 — "Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing" featuring Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and tap dancer Savion Glover.
1998 — "A Tribute to Motown's 40th Anniversary" including Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves and The Temptations.
1997 — "Blues Brothers Bash" featuring Dan Akroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi. Also featuring "The Godfather of Soul" James Brown and ZZ Top.
1996 — Diana Ross celebrating 30 years of the Super Bowl with special effects, pyrotechnics and stadium card stunt. Finale featured Diana Ross being taken from the stadium in a helicopter.
1995 — "Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye" featuring Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval, the Miami Sound Machine and stunts including fire and skydivers. Finale included audience participation with light sticks.
1994 — "Rockin' Country Sunday" featuring Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna & Naomi Judd. Finale included flashlight stunt.
1993 — "Heal the World" featuring Michael Jackson and 3,500 local children. Finale included audience card stunt.
1992 — "Winter Magic" including a salute to the winter season and the winter Olympics featuring Gloria Estefan, Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill.
1991 — "A Small World Salute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl" featuring New Kids on the Block.
1990 — "Salute to New Orleans" and 40th Anniversary of Peanuts' characters, featuring trumpeter Pete Fountain, Doug Kershaw & Irma Thomas.
1989 — "Be Bop Bamboozled" featuring 3-D effects.
1988 — "Something Grand" featuring 88 grand pianos, the Rockettes and Chubby Checker.
1987 — "Salute to Hollywood's 100th Anniversary".
1986 — "Beat of the Future."
1985 — "A World of Children's Dreams."
1984 — "Super Bowl XVIII's Salute to the Superstars of the Silver Screen."
1983 — "KaleidoSUPERscope" (a kaleidoscope of color and sound).
1982 — "A Salute to the 60s and Motown."
1981 — "A Mardi Gras Festival."
1980 — "A Salute to the Big Band Era" with Up with People.
1979 — "Super Bowl XIII Carnival" Salute to the Caribbean with Ken Hamilton and various Caribbean bands.
1978 — "From Paris to the Paris of America" with Tyler Apache Belles, Pete Fountain and Al Hirt.
1977 — "It's a Small World" including crowd participation for first time with spectators waving colored placards on cue.
1976 — "200 Years and Just a Baby" Tribute to America's Bicentennial.
1975 — "Tribute to Duke Ellington" with Mercer Ellington and Grambling State band.
1974 — "A Musical America" with University of Texas band.
1973 — "Happiness Is." with University of Michigan marching band and Woody Herman.
1972 — "Salute to Louis Armstrong" with Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt and U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team.
1971 — Florida A&M band.
1970 — Carol Channing.
1969 — "America Thanks" with Florida A&M University band.
1968 — Grambling State band.

Photo credit: By marcen27 from Glasgow, UK (Adele 3) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons