During Madonna’s Super Bowl XLVI media session, the iconic pop performer promised her show would feature no wardrobe malfunctions. While she delivered on that promise, her performance wasn’t without controversy. M.I.A., while appearing with Madonna and Nicki Minaj during the show, flashed an obscene gesture at the NBC cameras for a brief moment.

M.I.A., who earned Grammy nominations for “Swagger Like Us” and “Paper Planes” in 2009, was caught on camera flipping her middle finger during her brief appearance. Following the gesture, the NBC broadcast appeared to briefly blur the stage’s image, but it was too late to catch the gesture. (The video attached features the gesture in question and might be offensive to some readers.)

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NBC and the NFL later issued apologies for the incident.

“The NFL hired the talent and produced the halftime show,” NBC spokesman Christopher McCloskey said. “Our system was late to obscure the inappropriate gesture and we apologize to our viewers.”

Said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy: “The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing, and we apologize to our fans.”

It was the first significant controversy during a Super Bowl halftime act since the 2004 performance at Super Bowl XXXVIII featuring Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction.”

In the years following the wardrobe malfunction, the NFL went with more traditional acts like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and others, but went with a contemporary act last year by choosing the Black Eyed Peas.

In November, the a court upheld a previous ruling that the $500,000 fine against CBS for indecency related to the Jackson mishap was invalid.

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