Parents Television Council Says NBC 'Enabled' M.I.A. Offensive Gesture

It seems some Super Bowl viewers were more upset about the halftime show than the Patriots' loss. The Parents Television Council released a statement Monday morning slamming the NFL and NBC for British singer/rapper M.I.A.'s profane gesture.

NBC fumbled and the NFL lied because a performer known as M.I.A. felt it necessary to flip off millions of families, council President Tim Winter wrote. It is unfortunate that a spectacular sporting event was overshadowed once again by broadcasting the selfish acts of a desperate performer.

Winter charged that NBC enabled the incident by choosing a lineup full of performers who have based their careers on shock, profanity, and titillation.

And the PTC isn't accepting any apology, saying action speaks louder than words.

A simple apology rings hollow after yet another slap in the face to families, especially when NBC has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that it should be allowed to air all manner of indecent material at any time of day, even when children are watching, wrote Winter.

TMZ reported that the NFL and NBC had a contract with M.I.A. requiring her to pay a fine if she pulled any offensive behavior, but no details have been confirmed yet.

The Parent's Television Council was also up in arms at the end of Jan. when an episode ABC's hit sitcom Modern Family featured a toddler dropping the F-bomb, although bleeped.