NFL Asked to Drop the Who from Super Bowl Halftime Show

A child abuse prevention group in the U.K. is protesting against British rock icons the Who's appearance at the NFL's Super Bowl XLIV halftime show on February 7. Child Abuse Watch is requesting the NFL remove guitarist Pete Townshend from the lineup due to his 2003 arrest for accessing child pornography on his computer.

Child Abuse Watch founder and CEO Evin Daly told the press, "The Who is a great band. Pete Townshend is the only issue here."

Townshend, pictured, was given a police warning following the charges and put on the U.K.'s Violent and Sex Offender Register for five years. Townshend contends that he purchased access to a Texas-based pedophile website as part of research for his autobiography, which was published in 2008. He was also booked for possession of "indecent pictures," but was cleared of those charges, as no pictures were found on his computer.

Child Abuse Watch published a position statement on Townshend's halftime show appearance, which, if Super Bowl XLIII's ratings are any indication, could be watched by upwards of 100 million people. It also wrote a letter to the NFL on the matter. On its website, the organization writes that the musician "pleaded guilty" and "was never cleared of any charges pertaining to his caution and resulting sex offender status." The statement also highlights an article Townshend wrote on child pornography as proof of his research and a graphic fictional story he published to his website in 2006. The story was quickly taken down, with Townshend admitting it was "ill-advised."

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy insists that the band will perform as scheduled. "UK police cleared him since he was doing research for a project on child abuse," he said.