There is plenty of talk about the great performances viewers watched before Super Bowl LVIII, but there’s some controversy about what was not seen. 

Just prior to gametime, the announcers introduced interpreters for the deaf on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf. But once the performances started, the cameras did not turn to any of those interpreters. 

One of the interpreters, Daniel Durant, attended Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). He signed Reba McEntire’s national anthem, but none of it was seen by those tuning into CBS for the big game. 

Rep. Joe Morelle is contacting both the NFL and CBS about the lack of screen time, saying they fumbled the ball. 

"They want to get credit for diversity and inclusion by introducing Daniel Durant and talking about how he’s doing American Sign [Language] and interpretation and then not put him on TV. That’s awful,” Morelle said. “So I just felt compelled as a member of Congress to write to both of them and say, ‘hey, this was really bad.’ I’m hoping they will apologize. I hope we will get a response and I hope they will commit to doing the right thing in future broadcasts.”

Actress Marlee Matlin is also calling out CBS, posting Sunday on X:

NTID’s president released a statement, saying:

"It was disappointing to see the lack of accessibility of the ASL performances at the Super Bowl, and we hope that for next year at Super Bowl LIX the NFL and FOX will consider showing these talented performers along with their hearing counterparts.”  

There were several interpreter performers signing for the deaf during performances ahead of the game on Sunday and during the halftime show.

Spectrum News 1 reached out to CBS and the NFL for comment and are awaiting a response.