By August Brown
12:26 p.m. CDT, March 18, 2014

M.I.A. might want to hang onto all that cash-register-ringing money she earned on "Paper Planes." The NFL is asking for $16.6 million stemming from the fracas over her middle-finger gesture at the 2012 Super Bowl.

The incident took place during M.I.A.'s halftime performance with Madonna and Nicki Minaj, where the singer briefly flashed what looked like a raised middle finger at the cameras.

The flicked digit came and went in a second, but the NFL took it personally. The league claims the singer-rapper, born Maya Arulpragasam, is in breach of a contract that stipulated her performance preserve the league's "reputation for wholesomeness."

The league wants a fine of $1.5 million and restitution of $15.1 million based on NFL estimates of the value of the exposure M.I.A. earned from the performance. They NFL used ad-rate figures for the game to come to that number.


M.I.A., true to form, replied rather scabrously. In documents filed by her lawyer, her team said, "The claim for restitution lacks any basis in law, fact, or logic," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The document also said that the NFL's "wholesomeness" claim is ridiculous, citing other racy halftime shows by Prince and Michael Jackson, and recent allegations of race-based hazing among players and widespread concern that the league buried and ignored research showing that concussions and mental illness are endemic among players.

M.I.A. made light of the situation when she sent Madonna a tweet asking to borrow $16 million.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

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2018
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10 More Wins

Have no idea who she is, but isn't M.I.A. a pretty heavy insult to real vets? I would think she would have never been allowed on the stage of any public funded stage, etc.

Googled her up and I am very proud to say I was unaware of her existance until now. GO NFL , GO!

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

You had never heard "Paper Planes" before?

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The Pineapple Express trailer was awesome.

An emphatic "would."

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I don't remember half the time if I'm hiding or I'm lost

I just googled the video and I have seen the start of it a few times and always wondered if they paid the clash for ripping off their stuff?

Today however I listened/watched the first 1 minute and I feel really good in saying she is a no talent hack at best. She doesnt even sound good after sound mixing!

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

M.I.A. is kinda cool, but the fact that she married into the Seagram's fortune undermines a lot of her activism and just makes her sound like an ignorant goof.

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Would you think less of my musings if you knew that I married into the Bartles and Jaymes fortune?

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I don't remember half the time if I'm hiding or I'm lost

I would thank you for your support, at least as far as you could tell.

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