NFL sues M.I.A. over Super Bowl incident--and she asks fans to help her fight back
UPDATE: Maya "M.I.A" Arulpragasam has just uploaded a video statement on the N.F.L. lawsuit over her middle-finger at the SuperBowl halftime show with Madonna and Nicki Minaj. Her stance is unchanged but stated more directly and articulately here, as she points up the contradiction between the acceptability of her middle finger (unacceptable) and the spread-eagled underage cheerleaders behind her (acceptable) clearly visible in the screengrab of the infamous moment which has circulated so widely online (see below, purely for reference, not for prurient interest). As Maya puts it herself, in the NFL's eyes
"It's okay for me to promote being...you know...sexually exploited as a female, than to display female empowerment through being punk rock. That is what boils down to."
Well said. Watch the clip below for the full statement:
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Yup. You--yes you--could possibly be a part of the NFL v. M.I.A. lawsuit. Read on to find out how.
Remember that bird flip that MIA gifted us at last year's Super Bowl, during her half-time performance with Madonna and Nicki Minaj? While most of us may recall the story buzzing on a few blogs and sites in the weeks following the event before the next hot-topic headline tookover, M.I.A. has had her hands full with the legal issues trickling down from it--to the tune of a possible 1.5 million dollar fine from the NFL. The basic premise to why the NFL is seeking the fine against her is because her action was an alleged breach of her performance contract, and they claim it tarnished the "good will and reputation" of the NFL.
Things with the lawsuit got intense last week when the NFL served her lawyers with a motion for summary judgment - which is basically a request to the court to give a judgement on the case without going to trial. Like the plugs said: stakes is high. In response to the move, M.I.A.'s lawyer Howard King told reporters yesterday that Maya is about to launch an all-out public war on the NFL which largely aims to highlight the hypocrisy of the organization.
"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, adding:
"Of course, 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."
Touché.
So here's how you can help MIA and get your law & order SVU on - metaphorically speaking of course. MIA's lawyer is ASKING you or anyone from the general public to email their law firm at the address of NFL@khpblaw.com with examples you have noticed of how 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.
"These submissions, which we plan to use to bolster M.I.A's defense, will help balance the playing field, as they very well could eliminate the burden of undertaking a formal survey of the history of unwholesome behavior"
King added.
This call to action for public help is certainly a bold, gutsy, and creative approach by M.I.A.'s lawyers--which could prove to be their smartest move in this lawsuit yet. Regardless of how many people actually send in emails to help them, we're pretty sure this is likely to cause some of the NFL's lawyers to be just a little shook.
