Grammys Under Fire For Embracing Chris Brown

It's been three years, but apparently some Grammy viewers never forget.

The Grammys are undergoing a firestorm of criticism for putting Chris Brown in the spotlight three times during the ceremony, including his win of best R&B album for "F.A.M.E.", his performance of a single from his forthcoming album, "Turn Up the Music", and opening a dance tribute to "Soul Train" creator Don Cornelius.

Some are calling this a return to the scene of the crime, for it was on the eve of the 2009 Grammys when Brown beat up his then-girlfriend Rihanna, who also was a performer during Sunday's ceremony. He later pleaded guilty to assault charges and was sentenced to five years of probation and six months of community labor.

The twitterverse blew up Sunday questioning Brown's prominent role in the award ceremony, including tweets from such celebrities as "Modern Family"'s Eric Stonestreet who sarcstically tweeted, "Are Chris Brown's mom and dad CBS and Grammy Brown?" Singer Michelle Branch chimed in with, "Trying not to go off on a rant but ... Chris Brown ... (bites tongue) have we forgiven him?" And "The View"'s Sherri Shepherd tweeted, "Looks like all is forgiven (with) Chris Brown. That's all I'll say."