It’s been months since we last heard anything about the lawsuit the National Football League has hit Sri-Lankan rapper M.I.A. with, but it looks like things are getting even more heated.
The rapper appeared during Madonna’s Super Bowl XLVI Half-Time Show back on Feb. 5, 2012 for the Material Girl’s song “Give Me All Your Luvin.'” During the song, M.I.A. flipped off the camera which sent the football association into a tailspin.
In the custom of Super Bowl half-time performers, she was not paid to perform the song at football’s biggest night, but that did not stop the NFL from demanding $1.5 million for allegedly breaching her performance contract and tarnishing its goodwill and reputation.
Now, the NFL is demanding that she pay back an additional $15.1 million more in “restitution” because that would be the alleged value of public exposure she received by appearing on the show for about two minutes. Reportedly, the NFL came up with that figure by basing it on what advertisers would have paid for an ad to run during that time slot.
“The claim for restitution lacks any basis in law, fact, or logic,” M.I.A. said in papers she filed on Friday. She adds that the “continued pursuit of this proceeding is transparently an exercise by the NFL intended solely to bully and make an example of Respondents for daring to challenge NFL.”
Since the original lawsuit was filed, M.I.A.’s attorney, Howard King, has been on a witch hunt, trying to discredit as many people involved in the NFL by proving that not all of them adhere to the “wholesome” nature that they are trying to protect. King even launched an email for anyone to submit information about these people; he claims it’s to “balance the field.”
As for M.I.A., we see her dragging out this suit until the NFL let’s it go.
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