Rapper M.I.A. Sued by NFL

Football fans no doubt remember the halftime show of the 2012 Super Bowl.  Madonna, accompanied by M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj, performed the song "Give Me All Your Luvin'."  During the performance, M.I.A. was seen giving the middle finger to the camera.  (It happened so quickly, I missed it myself.)

Courtesy of Getty Images

 

Well, the NFL, in response to the finger gesture, has decided to sue the rapper for the tidy sum of $1.5 million dollars.  The lawsuit began in 2012 but M.I.A. and her legal representatives have only released this information to the public recently.

The NFL, in an attempt to justify the lawsuit, has claimed the rapper showed a "flagrant disregard for the values that form the cornerstone of the NFL brand."   M.I.A.'s lawyer, Howard King, also weighed in on the matter.  He has stated that the NFL's "claimed reputation for wholesomeness is hilarious...in light of the weekly felonies committed by its stars, the bounties placed by coaches on opposing players, the homophobic and racist comments uttered by its players, the complete disregard for the health of players and the premature deaths that have resulted from same, and the raping of public entities ready to sacrifice public funds to attract teams."

M.I.A. has also come on record saying that the sexually provocative dance moves of the underage women in the performance were more offensive than what she did.  In a You Tube video, she stated that the lawsuit is a "massive waste of time, it's a waste of money.  It's a massive display of powerful corporation d--k shaking...They say it's OK for me to promote being sexually exploited as a female than to display female empowerment through being punk rock.  That's what it boils down to and I'm being sued for it."

Interestingly enough, the FCC, the governing body of the broadcasting world, is not seeking to punish the British/Sri Lankan musician.  If the FCC is not pursuing the matter, neither should the NFL.  The NFL is coming out of this situation looking petty and hypocritical.  I'm with M.I.A. on this one.

Written by Toni

Sources:
Fox Sports: M.I.A. and NFL Lawsuit

M.I.A.'s Response: You Tube

Note: YouTube link includes finger gesture