NFL Has Been Secretly Attempting to Sue M.I.A. Since Her Super Bowl Halftime Middle Finger

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the NFL has been “waging a secret legal war” with the artist since March 2012. According to THR, the NFL says in legal papers that M.I.A.’s middle finger showed, “flagrant disregard for the values that form the cornerstone of the NFL brand and the Super Bowl.” Now, after 18 months, M.I.A. is ready to take her legal battle public. And her lawyer, Howard King, has come out swinging.

"“Of course, the NFL’s claimed reputation for wholesomeness is hilarious,” King tells THR, “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.”"

And they want your help!

"King adds, “We encourage people to submit their examples of how the actions of 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, can be made to the M.I.A defense team by email to NFL@khpblaw.com.”"

M.I.A. and her legal team better be careful. The NFL is out $765 million after that pesky concussion lawsuit. They’re going to do whatever they can to start making that money back. Who knows what they are capable of.

[Obscene imagery via Getty / story via @HubbuchNYP]