ESPN has apologized for broadcasting a woman’s breast during the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day.
“We regret that this happened and apologize that the video aired in the telecast,” ESPN’s Bill Hofheimer said in a statement to The Associated Press.
As part of B-roll for the Jan. 1 game, a cameraperson took to the streets of New Orleans to show footage of the crowds. As the cameraperson is walking down Bourbon Street, a woman can be seen talking to someone on the balcony above her. She quickly flashes one of her breasts as the cameraperson walks by, a common occurrence when it comes to New Orleans nightlife.
The nudity wasn’t blurred in the live broadcast. Adding to the embarrassment, the offending clip also happened to contain an ad for Allstate, which sponsored the bowl game.
The brief clip aired while coming out of a commercial during the second half of a semifinal game of the College Football Playoff between the No. 3 Texas Longhorns and the No. 2 Washington Huskies, which the Huskies won 37-31.
Washington will face the No. 1 ranked Michigan Wolverines for the College Football Playoff national championship on Jan. 8. Michigan also had a close game on its path to the finale, beating the Alabama Crimson Tide 27-20 earlier in the day in the Rose Bowl. The final game of the 2023 college football season will take place Monday at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Bourbon Street clip wasn’t the first time nudity has impacted a live football game. In 2016, a group of naked students caused a brief delay during the storied Harvard-Yale game. Of course, the most-remembered instance of nudity happened during the 2004 Super Bowl when a claimed wardrobe malfunction caused performer Janet Jackson to flash her breast.