Hank Williams, Jr. will not be inquiring about your readiness for Monday Night Football tonight after ESPN decided to pull the country music star’s traditional opening sequence, the result of controversial comments Williams made this morning about Pres. Barack Obama.
ESPN Pulls Hank Williams, Jr. From Monday Night Football After Controversial Obama Comments
During an interview with FOX News' "Fox & Friends" morning show (embedded below), Williams was asked if he had any favorites in the GOP presidential race. Williams replied that he did not, and then proceeded to criticize last June's highly publicized "golf summit" between Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, House Speaker John Boehner and Ohio governor John Kasich.
Williams, a Republican who helped campaign for Bush-Cheney in 2000 and McCain-Palin in 2008, called the golf game “one of the biggest political mistakes ever.” When asked to elaborate, Williams said, “That turned a lot of people off. You know, watching, you know, it just didn’t go over.” He then stated, “It would be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu, OK?,” adding that Obama and Biden are “the enemy.”
Not surprisingly, ESPN has decided to distance itself from Williams. The company released the following statement Monday evening:
“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. We are extremely disappointed with his comments, and as a result we have decided to pull the open from tonight’s telecast.”
It’s not yet clear how long ESPN will refrain from showcasing the country music icon, who has been featured Monday Night Football’s opening sequence for 23 seasons. Video of Williams’ interview appears below:
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