ESPN has issued an apology after a camera operator caught a woman flashing her breast during the network’s broadcast of the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
The video clip was aired coming out of commercial break during the second half of Washington’s 37-31 victory over Texas in a semifinal game of the College Football Playoff on Monday night.
A clip of people wandering on Bourbon Street in New Orleans showed a woman pulling down her top to expose her right breast. The woman seemingly flashed her breast to get the attention of someone on the balcony above her.
It is unclear whether the incident happened live or was taped beforehand, but it lasted for at least a second before the camera zoomed away. Shortly after the clip aired, the sports network issued an apology.
“We regret that this happened and apologize that the video aired in the telecast,” ESPN’s senior director of communications Bill Hofheimer said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Washington ended up beating Texas 37-31 in the game and will now face Michigan, who beat Alabama, for the national championship on Monday, 8 January at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
The current four-team College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams after the 2024 season.