U.S. communications regulators ruled on Monday that there was no violation of decency standards in the introductory segment of ABC’s “Monday Night Football” featuring actress Nicollette Sheridan dropping a towel and baring her back.

The controversial TV fragment, which aired on November 15 at the opening if the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, showed the “Desperate Housewives” star trying to seduce football player Terrell Owens by dropping the towel she is wearing and, thus, exposing her back to the viewers from the waist up. Although the segment was free from unconcealed sexual content and foul language, ABC said it received complaints from its viewers who claimed it was inappropriate.

However, the five-member panel of the Federal Communications Commission ruled that there was nothing indecent about it.

"Although the scene apparently is intended to be titillating, it simply is not graphic or explicit enough to be indecent under our standard," the commission told Reuters.

While agreeing with the decision, Democratic Commissioner Michael Copps said in a separate statement that broadcasters could have done better and chosen different broacasr time for "Monday Night Football" when children would be less likely to be a part of the audience.

"There wasn't much self-discipline in this particular promotion," he said. "As stewards of the airwaves, broadcasters can and should do better."

The FCC has considerably increased control of extensive profanity and sexually explicit material on television and radio after the incident with Janet Jackson’s brief breast exposure during the Super Bowl show in February 2004 and Monday Night Football wasn't the only show that became subject of their carefull attention.