( CNN ) -- Ahead of her Super Bowl halftime show , singer Madonna promised there would be no `` wardrobe malfunction . '' What she did n't guarantee was no obscene gestures . Rapper M.I.A . provided a middle finger salute to network cameras Sunday night during the 12-minute extravaganza , when she joined Madonna during a performance of the latter 's new single , `` Give Me All Your Luvin ' . '' The apologies from the NFL and the broadcaster , NBC , came quickly -- they blamed each other . `` There was a failure in NBC 's delay system , '' said Brian McCarty , the league 's vice president of communications . `` The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate , very disappointing , and we apologize to our fans . '' `` The NFL hired the talent and produced the halftime show , '' NBC said . `` Our system was late to obscure the inappropriate gesture and we apologize to our viewers . '' The episode was reminiscent of the 2004 Super Bowl when singer Janet Jackson 's nipple was briefly exposed during a performance with singer Justin Timberlake . The infamous `` wardrobe malfunction '' episode , as it came to be known , prompted the Federal Communications Commission to fine broadcaster CBS $ 550,000 . In November , a divided 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the FCC improperly punished the network . Since then , the NFL has maintained tight control over the show 's production . After the Jackson-Timberlake showstopper , the halftime show largely relied on classic rock artists such as Paul McCartney , Bruce Springsteen , The Rolling Stones , The Who and Tom Petty . Fast forward to Sunday when the New England Patriots were again playing in the big game , just as in 2004 . M.I.A. , along with Nicki Minaj , Cee-Lo Green and LMFAO , joined Madonna as she treated fans to a greatest hits medley that included `` Vogue , '' `` Music '' and `` Like a Prayer . '' The `` spontaneous gesture , '' as NBC called it , came during a performance of Madonna 's latest single . M.I.A . not only flipped her middle finger but uttered , `` I do n't give a sh*t. '' A source close to M.I.A . said the rapper `` was nervous and not thinking , and adrenaline took over . '' `` It was n't meant as a gesture or statement of any kind , '' said the source , who is not authorized to speak on the record . `` She feels horrible for putting Madonna in that position . She messed up . '' The Parents Television Council , a nonprofit group that advocates for family friendly programming , blamed the mishap on both NBC and the NFL . `` They chose a lineup full of performers who have based their careers on shock , profanity and titillation , '' the group 's president , Tim Winter , said in a statement . `` Instead of preventing indecent material , they enabled it . '' Madonna did not issue a comment . But on Twitter , where the halftime show generated 8,000 tweets per second , the reaction was swift and mixed . `` What was that singer M.I.A . thinking ? ! Flipping off America during halftime ca n't be a good career move , '' Will Ripley of Denver tweeted . But Devon Soltendieck of Montreal was less concerned . `` Can we all stop pretending # MIA flipping the Finger during the halftime show is offensive in 2012 ? '' he asked . Said Josh Jackson , editor in chief of the music magazine Paste : `` M.I.A . Did n't flip us all off . She just had a middle finger malfunction . '' CNN 's K.J . Matthews contributed to this report .
Notes : Rapper B . was ` ` nervous and not happy , '' a source says . NBC says its system was late to obscure the gesture . The NFL says the gesture was inappropriate and disappointing . The halftime show averaged 8,000 tweets per minute .