Hank Williams Jr., a good ‘ole boy if there ever was one, has been sacked by sports network ESPN, for comparing President Obama to Adolph Hitler and calling the president “the enemy.”
Williams, whose song has been featured for 20 years on the intro to “Monday Night Football,” made the the shocking comments during a Fox News interview when he was asked about his political views.
That was enough for ESPN to drop the country music star’s opening for last night’s game.
“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.”
The network did not say if the ban is temporary or permanent.
Williams made the offending remarks when he said Obama playing golf with House Speaker John Boehner is “like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu,” the Israeli prime minister.
Host Brian Kilmeade seemed to object when he said he didn’t understand the analogy.
“I’m glad you don’t brother, because a lot of people do. They’re the enemy… Obama! And Biden! Are you kidding?” Williams shot back.
Check out the video:
Keith Girard four decades of experience as an award-winning reporter, editor-in-chief, and senior media executive. Keith’s career began in Washington, D.C., where he was a reporter for The Washington Post and a contributing editor for Regardie’s and Washingtonian magazines. He also worked as a writer/producer in CNN’s Washington Bureau and has written one book on the U.S. Marines in the Gulf War.