ESPN pulls Williams from MNF opening

[WestVirginiaRebel]

ESPN:

The Hank Williams Jr. song that has opened Monday Night Football for 20 years will not be part of the opening of this week's Indianapolis-Tampa Bay game after Williams made controversial comments about President Barack Obama.

Williams compared Obama to Adolf Hitler on Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" show Monday morning.

ESPN, in a statement, said: "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."

Williams, whose song "All My Rowdy Friends" has been the Monday Night Football theme on both ABC and ESPN since 1991, told "Fox and Friends" that he thought Speaker of the House John Boehner playing golf with President Obama "would be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu ... In the shape this country is in?"

Told by anchor Brian Kilmeade that he didn't understand the analogy, Williams said: "I'm glad you don't, brother, because a lot of people do. They're the enemy." Asked who, Williams said: "Obama. And Biden. Are you kidding? The Three Stooges."

Boehner played golf with Obama in June at the height of the national budget debate in Washington D.C.

Williams, from Tennessee, has said he would run as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in 2012.

Later in the Fox interview with Williams, anchor Gretchen Carlson told Williams he used the name of one of history's most hated men to describe the President.

"Well that's true. But I'm telling you like it is," Williams said.

Williams has been critical of Obama in the past. He campaigned for Sen. John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin in 2008, even changing the words of one of his songs, "Family Tradition," to blast Obama and the Democrats for the financial crisis the country was facing prior to that year's election.
________

Too politically incorrect for the room?

[Valin]

ESPN:

 

The Hank Williams Jr. song that has opened Monday Night Football for 20 years will not be part of the opening of this week's Indianapolis-Tampa Bay game after Williams made controversial comments about President Barack Obama.

 

Williams compared Obama to Adolf Hitler on Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" show Monday morning.

 

ESPN, in a statement, said: "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."

 

Williams, whose song "All My Rowdy Friends" has been the Monday Night Football theme on both ABC and ESPN since 1991, told "Fox and Friends" that he thought Speaker of the House John Boehner playing golf with President Obama "would be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu ... In the shape this country is in?"

 

Told by anchor Brian Kilmeade that he didn't understand the analogy, Williams said: "I'm glad you don't, brother, because a lot of people do. They're the enemy." Asked who, Williams said: "Obama. And Biden. Are you kidding? The Three Stooges."

 

Boehner played golf with Obama in June at the height of the national budget debate in Washington D.C.

 

Williams, from Tennessee, has said he would run as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in 2012.

 

Later in the Fox interview with Williams, anchor Gretchen Carlson told Williams he used the name of one of history's most hated men to describe the President.

 

"Well that's true. But I'm telling you like it is," Williams said.

 

Williams has been critical of Obama in the past. He campaigned for Sen. John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin in 2008, even changing the words of one of his songs, "Family Tradition," to blast Obama and the Democrats for the financial crisis the country was facing prior to that year's election.

________

 

Too politically incorrect for the room?

 

To stupid of Hank.

[Casino67]

Somebody on Twitter said ESPN can yuck it up over Palin rape jokes, but Hitler is just too much.

[clearvision]

To stupid of Hank.

 

Yep. He is a business. You don't go where he went as a business and not expect to have to deal with fall out. Especially true if your business is involved with the media.

[RandyM]

I like his music, but that was totally uncalled for.

[clearvision]

I looked at his comment and context and it was not quite as bad as being portrayed, but still stupid, doubly so since he is planning to run for senate. The context was trying to portray totally opposite people playing golf. If I read the comment correctly he could have been saying Boehner was Hitler in the comparison if one did not know his political persuasion.

[Geee]

He seemed a little weird during this whole interview

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eF6vCv13bw

[SrWoodchuck]

Hank Williams,Jr. put his foot in his mouth, because he's Hank Williams, Jr.....and the 2nd Amendment doesn't apply to conservatives. Tell me that a liberal loon talking the same way about George Bush would have paid the same price. Liberal celebrities are allowed their peculiarities, their peccadillos & their perverted politics. Few people have had an American success story like Hank.....he's rough-hewn....and progressives can't stand straight talking, hard drinking, non-PC men.

[pollyannaish]

Ok, so this was a bad business decision, and a false comparison.So, the consequences are not surprising.

 

That said, HOW MANY NETWORKS had people CLOSELY aligned with them that called President Bush HITLER and got absolutely nothing but crickets?

 

It's ridiculous.

 

I never thought I'd say this, but ESPN is getting downright...gay. Heck, aren't these the guys that thought it would be a good idea to replace Hank with Elton John? I mean, I love Elton as much as the next girl and I've always loved his music...but Monday night football does not cater to his audience.

 

Next time someone tells me that these folks do this because it's all about the money...I'm going to scream. This is ideology pure and simple...and I suspect there are a lot of MNF fans out there that, for better or worse, stood up and cheered Hank.

 

I hate it when people say self-damaging things. I hate stone cold hypocrisy even more.

[SrWoodchuck]

Amen,Pollyannaish!

[clearvision]

Hypocrisy is automatically a burden of any conservative. It is the burden of any A-student, Boy Scout, etc. If you slip up in the slightest you are hosed. If the pot head, booze drinking kid, liberal trash mouth rapper says an equivalent thing it is expected. Conservatives... embrace it, understand it, live it, deal with it. The standards are not the same.

[pollyannaish]

Hypocrisy is automatically a burden of any conservative. It is the burden of any A-student, Boy Scout, etc. If you slip up in the slightest you are hosed. If the pot head, booze drinking kid, liberal trash mouth rapper says an equivalent thing it is expected. Conservatives... embrace it, understand it, live it, deal with it. The standards are not the same.

 

It may be the burden of being a conservative...but the problem is that now it is beginning to completely ruin our culture.

 

The "blame the successful for my failure" that has seeped into every level of our society is absolutely frightening. If we do not stem the way we think about it, we are truly doomed.

 

DOOMED. We will never get stronger by tearing down success. And that's what is really starting to frighten me for the sake of my children and grandchildren.

[clearvision]

I'm not sure this case is a good example to use. Clearly this was an over the top statement. Yes a lib would get a pass. But why, why would you go there on public TV when you are a "business" that appeals to main stream media.

 

Hank Jr. has lots of issues to begin with, I've not kept up with him at all, but I was sort of surprised he was even thinking about running for office. I have actual RECORDS of Hank Williams Sr. that I sought out when I was 20 because I appreciated the music/lyrics/dance. Jr. seemed to be a train wreck early on. But then I really have not researched, or paid that much attention in the past 30 years.