Apparently Motley Crue is accusing NBC of violating its free-speech rights with a ban the TV network imposed for Vince Neil's expletive on "The Tonight Show."

A suit filed Tuesday in federal court in Los Angeles accuses NBC of censoring the heavy metal band and harming sales of Motley Crue's new double album, "Red, White & Crue."
NBC Universal Television Group President Jeffrey Zucker barred the band after Neil used an expletive in his New Year's Eve greeting to drummer Tommy Lee on "The Tonight Show."

We meant no harm, but it feels that we're being singled out unfairly...This is a discrimination issue, pure and simple. All we've ever asked is to be treated like everybody else, which is why we're taking this action.

Thus spake Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx to the New York Times.

In a statement, NBC said the suit is "meritless" and it has the right to not invite guests back who violate broadcast standards.

Nikki Sixx may be right regarding the discrimination -- a right NBC retains. But NBC is right too. And although NBC's cable property MSNBC carries the Don Imus show, whose hosts repeatedly refers to "faggots;" "juiced-up dykes" and "ragheads" is showcasing their hypocrisy in this ban, there are no First Amendment violations here. Good publicity stunt though.