ABC apologizes for nudity on Monday Night Football

[Fred Derf Veteran]

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.

[Flae_qui]

and again the FCC says it's bad so i guess it is... :no: anyone see the car wash secne on Housewives the other night? this is a bunch of BS :rolleyes:

[AcdShdw]

oh like kids these days arent going to see boobs ###### or ass when they grow up come on,

[christracy]

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.

[tagerd0g]

oh noess... a naked back! save the children!!!! :rolleyes:

[JohnO]

I can't believe I missed this!

[Fred Derf Veteran]

Ah, it's harmless:

http://www.ifilm.com/viralvideo

[L3thal Veteran]

At this rate, TV will be banned by the FCC in the coming years :no:

[Cube]

thnx for the link feed dude. man thats not anythign bad..

whats sad is tony dungy said its racist.. what a f*ckin moron. yea ok its racist because TO is black? hows it racist? I mean come on..

[Delgarth]

I just didn't see a big deal. She wasn't naked, nothing was showed, no harm no foul. Nothing worse then what is on TV on any channel anytime of the day.

[sin-ergy]

this is a joke right?

[CatnipOligarchy]

wtf how can anyone find that offensive.. old people suck

[ForeverUnknown]

omg they thought that was bad? ugh this is getting out of hand :no:

[Mike Frett]

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

[Fred Derf Veteran]

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).

[neoufo51]

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.

[smaulz]

This is the same network that wouldn't air "Saving Private Ryan" because they were afraid of FCC backlash. Gimme a friggin break.

:angry:

[imtoomuch]

The FCC sucks. They're worse than the RIAA. People need to wake the **** up and realize this is 2004, not 1904. There was nothing wrong with that intro.

[davemania]

I just saw the video, and ABC had to apologize for that ?? It's pathetic

[sphinx450]

how can they apologize for nudity when nothing was shown...insane

[L3thal Veteran]

how can they apologize for nudity when nothing was shown...insane

584941697[/snapback]

The intent was there, from their point of view, which I understand.

[R-Style]

American People are so stupid....

[Cube]

American People are so stupid....

584941711[/snapback]

no need for that you euro

[curme]

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!

[r4esh]

Ah, it's harmless:

http://www.ifilm.com/viralvideo

584939820[/snapback]

Doesn't seem that bad to me either.