Remember when M.I.A. flipped off nearly the entire country during the Super Bowl halftime show with Madonna in 2012? Well it turns out that the NFL still isn’t done with it. The league wants her to pay $1.5 million and issue a public apology for the incident, according to a report.
The Hollywood Reporter has obtained a March 13, 2013 filed to the American Arbitration Association. In the document, the NFL demands that M.I.A. pay $1.5 million in damages, claiming that the incident tarnished its reputation. This sparked a behind-the-scenes legal war, which M.I.A. is actually losing. THR notes that as recently as last week, league lawyers continued the fight.
Howard King, who is the “Paper Planes” rapper’s lawyer, told THR that she is hoping they can reach a settlement privately. If not, she’ll make it public.
“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 said.
He also called the NFL’s claim that it is a wholesome organization “hilarious,” referencing all the recent legal problems many of its players have had, from racist comments to arrests.
In the immediate aftermath of the half time show, NBC apologized for showing it, noting that it was caught by surprise. Later, Madonna even said she wasn’t happy with it. “It's one of the those things, it's such a teenager, irrelevant thing to do…there was such a feeling of love and unity there what was the point?” she said in an interview with Ryan Seacrest at the time.
Beyonce’s performance earlier this year went on without incident and Bruno Mars is performing during the upcoming Super Bowl.
image: YouTube