Super Bowl: Reba McEntire's national anthem brings Chiefs star Chris Jones to tears
Country music legend Reba McEntire was the pick to sing the national anthem at Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, and she nailed it, with at least one player visibly crying on the sideline.
McEntire followed Post Malone's "America the Beautiful" and Andra Day's "Lift Every Voice and Sing" with a well-received rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Allegiant Stadium.
Midway through the song, the CBS camera caught Chiefs All-Pro defensive lineman Chris Jones with tears running down his cheeks. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also looked a bit misty-eyed toward the end.
Emotions running high for Chris Jones pic.twitter.com/jU0FSt4Lup
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 11, 2024
The anthem ended with a significant gambling controversy due to the always popular over/under bet on the length of the national anthem, which was set by BetMGM at 90.5 seconds.
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McEntire appeared to zoom through the song, but she drew out the final lines to the point that she stopped singing after approximately 95 seconds. That time included McEntire throwing in a second "the brave."
BetMGM's John Ewing quickly announced that the under hit, as the second "the brave" does not count toward the official length. As far as Vegas was concerned, the song was over as soon as every lyric had been sung. McEntire's first "the brave" put her at around 88 seconds.
However, Ewing later announced BetMGM would honor both over and under bets, making everyone a winner.