M.I.A. Responds to NFL Lawsuit: Cheerleaders Are More Offensive Than My Middle Finger

English-Sri Lankan artist accused the league of picking on her for being punk rock when its own behavior is far from family-friendly

By Josh Grossberg Sep 24, 2013 1:01 PMTags

M.I.A. has come out flipping swinging.

The British singer is hitting back hard at the NFL, which is seeking damages regarding her infamous one-finger salute during Madonna's Halftime Show at last year's Super Bowl XLVI. M.I.A. calls the brouhaha "completely ridiculous" and asserts that cheerleaders dancing in the production were actually more offensive.

M.I.A. released a YouTube video accusing the league of "massive corporation d--k shaking" for demanding $1.5 million from her for flipping the bird, which the NFL claimed was in breach of her performance contract and dinged its purportedly wholesome reputation.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

The "Born Free" musician argued that if people zoom out from the photo of her and her middle finger, they'll find at least 10 to 15 African-American cheerleaders under the age of 16 that the Material Girl recruited from a local Indianapolis high school who struck very sexually provocative poses.

"So now [the NFL is] scapegoating me into figuring out the goal posts on what is offensive in America," said the 38-year-old hitmaker. "Like, is my finger offensive or is an underage black girl with her legs wide open more offensive to the family audience?"

M.I.A. (real name Mathangi Arulpragasam) added that the league's legal action is a massive waste of time and money, and her attorney has already solicited fans to send in any examples of bad behavior by NFL personnel not in line with its purportedly family-friendly image.

"They want me on my knees and say sorry so they can slap me on my wrists. And basically say it's okay for me to promote being sexually exploited as a female than to display female empowerment through being punk rock," she declared. "That is what it boils down to, and I'm being sued for it."

No word what the NFL has to say about that. Perhaps that's because league officials are busy responding to the controversy over the offense generated by the disparaging meaning behind the name of its Washington D.C. team.