M.I.A. Settles With The NFL, Maybe Now They Can Afford A Halftime Show
M.I.A. and the NFL have settled the lawsuit that the organization filed after M.I.A. flipped the middle finger during her part in Madonna’s 2012 Super Bowl halftime show. The Hollywood Reporter says that M.I.A.’s attorney Howard King confirmed the settlement, but that details of the arbitration will remain private. The NFL filed a lawsuit a year and a half after the incident, asking for $1.5 million and a public apology, which the artist refused to do. The lawsuit was still ongoing this past March when the NFL upped their demands to $16.6 million, claiming that they had proof she flipped the bird as a publicity stunt. M.I.A. has been vocal about her disdain for the lawsuit, saying in a video statement that it was “completely ridiculous” and “a massive waste of time, a massive waste of money, it’s a massive display of powerful corporation dick-shaking.” M.I.A. has not yet issued a public apology, which means that probably wasn’t part of the private settlement. If the NFL got any money out of this, maybe now they can afford to not ask artists to pay to play the Super Bowl halftime stage.