DETROIT Chrysler withdraws sponsorship of pay-per-view Lingerie Bowl

Viewers must pay $19.95 to watch models dressed in lingerie play tackle football.
DETROIT (AP) -- Chrysler has withdrawn its sponsorship from a Super Bowl halftime football game between lingerie-clad models, saying its role has become a distraction.
Organizers said the contest will go on.
Chrysler Group's Dodge brand had signed on to sponsor the pay-per-view event, scheduled for Feb. 1, but the automaker said Wednesday it has reversed that decision. The company, part of DaimlerChrysler AG, has received criticism from some customers and dealers who consider the game sexist.
"Dodge brand's sponsorship of the Lingerie Bowl has become a distraction," George E. Murphy, DaimlerChrysler's senior vice president for global marketing, said in a statement.
Lingerie Bowl 2004
Mitch Mortaza, creator and executive producer of Lingerie Bowl 2004, said last week he had assured Chrysler officials the game will be more than a lurid panty party.
The contest will feature 14 models -- seven to a team -- playing tackle football dressed in lingerie and some protective equipment. Former professional players Eric Dickerson and Lawrence Taylor will coach the teams.
The program will air on pay-per-view channels for $19.95.
Mortaza said Wednesday he was disappointed by Dodge's decision, "especially since we were led to believe they were behind it 110 percent."