It’s been more than a year and a half since M.I.A. single handedly stole America’s innocence by flicking off the camera as she performed with Madonna at the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show, but the NFL wants blood. It’s been revealed today that the League has slapped the performer with $1.5 million fine but, just as you’d expect, M.I.A isn’t going down without a fight.
Usually not one to shy away from making waves, M.I.A. has actually been fairly quiet on the incident but according to her lawyer, Howard King, the singer has plans to soon “go public with an explanation of how ridiculous it was for the NFL and its fans to devote such furor to this incident, while ignoring the genocide occurring in her home country and several other countries, topics she frequently speaks to”.
It seems the NFL are more concerned with the damage done to their reputation following the incident.
King disputes their claims of maintaining a “wholesome” image, pointing out the recent controversy involving the sub-par treatment of players with head injuries.
Interestingly enough, out of all the parties potentially effected, including the FCC or NBC, the League seem to be the only ones who feel as though the gesture was damaging. In arbitration papers filed last year, the NFL called the incident “a blatant, intentional and calculated attempt by M.I.A., a musical artist, to garner worldwide publicity and attention for herself by making an offensive gesture to the cameras during the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show performance”.
M.I.A. and co. aren’t just going to hand over that $1.5mil, and are now rallying up support from the general public. Says King:
“We encourage people to submit their examples of how the actions of the NFL, its stars, coaches, advertisers, broadcasters, team doctors and owners have damaged or destroyed any vestiges of any reputation for wholesomeness ever enjoyed by the NFL.”
Watch: M.I.A. flips a sexy bird at Super Bowl XLVI
(Via Diffuser)
