Hank Williams Jr. Pulled From ‘Monday Night Football’ After Comparing Obama to Hitler
Hank Williams Jr. compared President Barrack Obama to Adolf Hitler on this morning's episode of Fox and Friends, and that opinionated and controversial comment got him in a bit of professional hot water. The statement caused ESPN to yank the singer's classic 'Monday Night Football' intro from tonight's broadcast.
The intro has been in place for over 20 years. You don't need to be an NFL fan to recognize the signature line that Williams bellows before every Monday night game: "Are you ready for some football?" It's become part of the American sports lexicon.
During his interview, Williams commented on Obama's golf game with House Speaker John Boehner, who is a Republican. Williams said, "It'd be like Hitler playing golf with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu."
When the show's hosts asked the country star to further clarify those remarks, he said, "They're the enemy," and by "they," he meant Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. "Obama! Biden! Are you kidding? The Three Stooges!" Williams said.
See Country Music's Most Political Singers
Those inflammatory statements were more than enough reason for the powers-that-be at ESPN to pull the song from tonight's telecast of the gridiron match between the Indianapolis Colts and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"While Hank Williams Jr. is not an ESPN employee, we recognize that he is closely linked to our company through the open to 'Monday Night Football,'" ESPN said in a statement. "We are extremely disappointed with his comments, and as a result we have decided to pull the open from tonight's telecast."
While the song was pulled from tonight's game, it was not clear if the song, which has represented Monday Night Football since 1989, will be restored next week or in the future.
How Well Do You Know Hank Williams Jr? Find Out?