ESPN issues statement after airing shot of woman flashing her breasts during Sugar Bowl

Airing any live footage of Bourbon Street in New Orleans after dark is a risk, and it’s one ESPN chose to take during the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. A transition shot from the commercial break back to the action in the second half of the game on Monday night resulted in the airing of a woman briefly flashing her breasts before the camera panned away.

Despite the game going into the late hours on Monday, the vast audience of college football fans at home quickly picked up on the network’s FCC misstep. ESPN released a statement of apology on Tuesday via the Associated Press.

“We regret that this happened and apologize that the video aired in the telecast,” ESPN’s Bill Hofheimer said in a statement to the AP.

Even though there are often children out on Bourbon Street, especially during major events, it’s not uncommon for body parts to get flashed in exchange for the colorful Mardi Gras beads. It is rare for those moments to become viral social media fodder, however.

Few who witnessed Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime “wardrobe malfunction” will ever forget it. That particular boob exposure led to a $550,000 fine for CBS from the FCC, which was later voided by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

Washington takes down Texas in Sugar Bowl

Apart from the momentary lapse in decency during the Sugar Bowl, ESPN’s broadcasts of the CFP semifinals went off without a hitch. The Washington Huskies took down the Texas Longhorns 37-31 to take a spot in the College Football Playoff finals.

The Huskies and Longhorns put on a show through the first half, heading into the locker rooms all tied up at 21-21.

After halftime, though, the Huskies appeared to find their stride, taking a 34-21 lead into the fourth quarter. But Texas didn’t back down, making it a 34-28 ballgame when Quinn Ewers hit Adonai Mitchell for a touchdown. While Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies tries to take the clock down, Texas eventually got the ball back with 45 seconds left — and that’s when things got interesting.

Ewers hit Jordan Whittington for a 41-yard pass to put the Longhorns in the red zone, and Jaydon Blue made a circus catch to put them at the 12-yard line with 15 seconds left to play. But Ewers’ pass to Mitchell at the final second fell incomplete.

They’ll face the Michigan Wolverines after Jim Harbaugh’s squad beat the Alabama Crimson Tide 27-20 following a failed final drive by Jalen Milroe’s unit.

How to watch the College Football Playoff national championship

Time: Jan. 8, 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN, FuboTV
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Michigan opened as a 4.5-point favorite over the Huskies, according to FanDuel. The over-under opened at 54.5.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.