The NFL is giving the middle finger right back to M.I.A.
According to Hollywood Reporter, the league is involved in a “secret legal war” over the rapper giving the middle finger during her Super Bowl XLVI halftime show. The NFL is reportedly trying to sue her for $1.5 million, and she is tired of the legal abuse coming from the incident.
“She is going to 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,” M.I.A.’s lawyer, Howard King, told the magazine, referring to her Sri Lankan heritatge.
During the halftime show 19 months ago in Indianapolis — where the Giants prevailed over the Patriots — M.I.A. gave the middle finger while singing Madonna’s “Give Me All Your Luvin’” and mouthing the words “I don’t give a s—.“ Many have moved on from M.I.A’s actions, but that does not include the NFL.
The league began its legal actions one month later and pushed forward last week by asking for summary judgement before moving on to damages.
In court papers, the league reportedly argued M.I.A. was responsible for an “offensive gesture… in flagrant disregard for the values that form the cornerstone of the NFL brand and the Super Bowl.”
The Super Bowl is no stranger to halftime controversy. The Janet Jackson nip-slip “wardrobe malfunction” from 2004 is still the standard.
M.I.A.’s lawyer went on the attack against the NFL, which is also demanding a public apology, in his statements Thursday.
“Of course, the NFL’s claimed reputation for wholesomeness is hilarious,” King said. “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.”
The league’s only response to the report was to say “any monetary damages for her actions would have been donated to charity.”