Ok, so Nicolette Sheridan took it off for ABC but what did we really see? We didn’t see her butt. We didn’t see breasts. We only saw her legs and only briefly, at that. And that’s if you call it from the knee down.

In an attempt by ABC to plug their show, Desparate Houswives, on Monday Night Football, Sheridan the actress, dropped her towel and promptly jumped into the arms of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Terrell Owens-a black man.

The media pundits kept talking about how mommy and daddy are sitting on the couch with their young children and have to see an attractive woman drop her towel, with nifty camera work, in front of a man-and the nation.

But what is it that parents have a problem explaining?

The definition of nudity includes the words “full exposure” or having no clothing. We, as viewers didn’t see that. It was only suggestive but in actuality, there was no nudity.

Something tells me that what is really behind many of these complaints is that a hot blond, white woman jumped into the arms of a black man, and on national television. Oh the shame.

Lets face it, this country has come a long way but that Yellow Brick Road has no ends when it comes to people’s hang-ups over color.

Yes, the skit was trashy but what do you expect from a network that tried employing non-football people just for ratings purposes?

I’m talking about Dennis Miller who lasted about two years as “color” man, which is about two years too long. They even considered Rush Limbaugh, and what we saw from him on ESPN, MNF dodged a bullet there.

So what happened to cool? The opening night for the 2004 MNF season saw Dennis Hopper on a chopper spoofing Easy Rider.

Now that was cool. He reeled off a dialogue that would make Apocalypse Now fans proud. Then he rode off into the sunset and the game began.

So much for taste. That didn’t last long.

Now everyone is playing dumb. ABC apologizes but what did we expect. They got the publicity and that is the name of the game. The consequences far underweigh the benefits for all this free publicity. Even Wolf Blitzer was interviewing the Insider’s Pat O’Brien about the flack.

A good point was made by NBCSports.com writer Mike Celizic: “My guess is that ABC wrote the apology even before they filmed the spot…” How true.

The NFL had the audacity to call it “inappropriate and unsuitable for our Monday Night Football audience.”

The fact is, the NFL just plays dumb as they continue to do whatever they want and get away with it. You want obscene or inappropriate? How about Robert Irsay and the Indianapolis Colts? Art Modell ring a bell?

The plain fact is, we’ve become a country of complainers without hitting the bullseye.

Filed by J.D. Long