The NFL wants British artist M.I.A. to pay the league $16.6 million for giving cameras the middle finger at the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show.
M.I.A. flipped off 167 million viewers during her performance of "Give Me All Your Luvin'" at Super Bowl XLVI, an incident for which the NFL took her to arbitration.
The league previously demanded $1.5 million from M.I.A., alleging that the singer violated her contract when she unleashed her middle finger upon the world.
Amazingly, the league is now demanding an additional $15.1 million in lost advertising sales, a claim that doesn't appear to have any basis in reality.
"Now the NFL has added an additional claim, seeking $15.1 million more in 'restitution' as the alleged value of public exposure she received by appearing for an approximately two minute segment during Madonna's performance," THR reported. "The figure is based on what advertisers would have paid for ads during this time."
M.I.A.'s lawyer, Howard King, released a lengthy response to the new charges, slamming the lawsuit on the grounds that it was simply "transparently an exercise by the NFL intended solely to bully and make an example of Respondents for daring to challenge NFL."
King's primary argument against the arbitration is that the NFL already had a terrible reputation, and M.I.A's behavior should have therefore been expected.
He wrote that the NFL encourages "profane, bawdy, lascivious, demeaning and/or unacceptable behavior by its players, team owners, coaching and management personnel and by performers chosen and endorsed by NFL to perform in its halftime shows."
King used several examples, including Michael Jackson (1993 halftime show), as the "NFL was fully aware that Jackson was going to engage in such 'genitalia adjustments' in his performance."
King also pointed a finger at Prince (2007 halftime show), whose "oversized shadow was shown caressing the neck of his stylized trademark guitar... as if stroking an erect oversized phallus."
VIA