ABC apologizes for nudity on Monday Night Football


Recommended Posts

Nov. 17, 2004. 07:12 AM

ABC apologizes for nudity on Monday Night Football

ANDREA ADELSON

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK - ABC's "desperate" bid at cross-promotion backfired on Monday Night Football.

The network's steamy intro to the Philadelphia-Dallas game, featuring a naked Nicollette Sheridan jumping into the arms of Eagles receiver Terrell Owens, drew complaints from viewers and the NFL.

ABC Sports apologized Tuesday for the segment, used a day earlier to promote the hit show Desperate Housewives and broadcast just nine months after another football flap ? the Janet Jackson Super Bowl fiasco.

"We have heard from many of our viewers about last night's MNF opening segment and we agree that the placement was inappropriate," ABC Sports said in a statement.

The NFL called the intro "inappropriate and unsuitable for our Monday Night Football audience."

"While ABC may have gained attention for one of its other shows, the NFL and its fans lost," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.

The spot showed Owens and Sheridan in an empty locker-room, with Sheridan wearing only a towel and provocatively asking Owens to skip the game for her.

After she dropped her towel, he smiled, agreed to be late for the contest and she jumped into his arms. Sheridan was shown only from behind and above the waist after she dropped the towel.

Then the shot panned out to two more stars of Desperate Housewives, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman, watching the scene unfold on a television and commenting on desperate women.

The Eagles said they appreciated ABC Sports' apology.

"It is normal for teams to co-operate with ABC in the development of an opening for its broadcast," the team said. ``After seeing the final piece, we wish it hadn't aired."

ABC has broadcast Monday Night Football with a five-second delay this season, a precaution after Jackson's wardrobe malfunction at February's Super Bowl.

At halftime of that game, Justin Timberlake ripped off part of Jackson's brassiere, exposing her right breast to a TV audience of some 90 million.

The Super Bowl was broadcast on CBS, which was fined a record $550,000 US by the FCC.

kids see stuff a lot or just as sexual in daytime soaps. this is hypocrisy at its best seeing as the "TWINS" are acceptable and there are always cheerleader shots in the broadcast. how ironic they are showing the same shots that are the crux of the matter on the news at ALL times. bureaucracy and hypocrisy at this finest.

I lobbied for those janet jackson fines but this is crazy. Nothing was wrong with this ad imo.

584941047[/snapback]

At least Janet Jackson thing was educational.

I walked away from that learning two things.

1) Such a thing as 'wardrobe malfunctions' can exist.

2) Such a thing as "nipple jewelry" can exist (beyond the obvious piercings).

Eh...if it was a white guy she jumped on, or if the chick was a hot black chick,  I'd really doubt we'd be hearing anything about it.

ESPN showed it tons of times, and nothing. Nothing obscene about it.

584941478[/snapback]

I was going to say the same thing. Blonde on black is a no-go in the USA.

And if it is two guys? Well, it's just against the law!

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.