The NFL and musical artist M.I.A. are in the middle of a "secret legal war" over the singer flashing her middle finger during the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show. The NFL sued M.I.A. for breaching her contract, and now she plans on waging an all-out war against the league, the Hollywood Reporter reports.
While NBC didn't make a big fuss over M.I.A.'s middle finger, the NFL called it "obscene" and a "blatant, intentional and calculated" publicity stunt by the singer. The league sued M.I.A., born Mathangi Arulpragasam, in March 2012 for breaching her contract.
The NFL contends she violated the contract, which stated: "(she) acknowledge the great value of the goodwill associated with the NFL and the tremendous public respect and reputation for wholesomeness enjoyed by the NFL (and) ensure that all elements of (her) performance, including without limitation (her) wardrobe, shall be consistent with such goodwill and reputation."
The lawsuit seeks $1.5 million and a public apology from M.I.A.
M.I.A. plans to fight back, according to her attorney, Howard King.
"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," King told THR.
King also took a jab at the NFL's claim of wholesomeness.
"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."
King said M.I.A. plans on firing back at the NFL by "(encouraging) 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."
When asked for comment, the NFL told THR only that the money from the lawsuit would be donated to charity.
