Hank Jr. is gone from MNF.. due to Hitler reference

[Sez.EJ]

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP)

ESPN pulled Hank Williams Jr.'s classic intro song from its broadcast of Monday night's NFL game after the country singer famous for the line ''Are you ready for some football?'' used an analogy to Adolf Hitler in discussing President Barack Obama.


Some athletes were on top of the world until they lost respect with these epic falls from grace.

In an interview Monday morning on Fox News' ''Fox & Friends,'' Williams, unprompted, said of Obama's outing on the links with House Speaker John Boehner: ''It'd be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu.''
Asked to clarify, Williams said, ''They're the enemy,'' adding that by ''they'' he meant Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
Anchor Gretchen Carlson later said to him, ''You used the name of one of the most hated people in all of the world to describe, I think, the president.'' Williams replied, ''Well, that is true. But I'm telling you like it is.''
''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,''' the network 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.''

Williams released a statement through his publicist, saying: ''Some of us have strong opinions and are often misunderstood. My analogy was extreme — but it was to make a point. I was simply trying to explain how stupid it seemed to me — how ludicrous that pairing was. They're polar opposites and it made no sense. They don't see eye-to-eye and never will. I have always respected the office of the president.''
ESPN did not say whether the intro, synonymous with ''Monday Night Football'' since 1989, would be used again after this week's Colts- Buccaneers game.


Musicians and actors should learn to stay out of politics.. They don't often get it right.. I'll just leave it at that. I mean comparing ANYONE to Hitler.. is going to cause problems... Like or dislike President Obama is irrelevent... You don't go there with the Hitler reference.. It's just dumb. .. Too bad.. I always liked Hanks MNF songs.. I'm not even a big country music fan.

[Jax Dawg]

I don't agree with comparing Obama to Adolf Hitler under any circumstances but a conservative making outlandish statements gets a lot more publicity in the MSM than a liberal making similiarly outlandish statements.

ie - Jimmy Hoffa when refering to Tea Partyist said "we need to take 'em out!" when making a speech with POTUS Obama present at a union gathering for Labor Day. Did this get the same attention?

[Crow]

On ESPN I saw someone saying freedom of speech is dead.

Nah. Nobody punished Hank Jr legally for what he said. But what you say can have consequences. If ESPN doesn't want to associate with him anymore, that's their call.

As someone who intends to vote for Obama in 2012, I'm not offended or care about the comment - it's just...dumb? Not sure what the big deal is. He said he was sorry so all the QQ (crying) really doesn't have much point.

[Crow]

Originally Posted by Hank Williams Jr

"After reading hundreds of e-mails, I have made MY decision," he wrote. "By pulling my opening Oct 3rd, You (ESPN) stepped on the Toes of The First Amendment Freedom of Speech, so therefore Me, My Song, and All My Rowdy Friends are OUT OF HERE. It's been a great run."

What a tool.

I won't miss you or your song.

[King of Kings]

You tell 'em Hank, fuck them ESPN pussies!

[OconRecon]

I don't care if you love or hate our president, the office deserves our respect. Now, whether you should lose your MNF gig over comments is another debate.

But hey, it's freedom of speech, not freedom of consequences.

And bt the way, I believe Keith Oberman and Imus are liberals who MSM nailed when they said dumb shit. The extremes of each party makes headlines. The rest of us are in the middle just trying to get up and go to work every day.

[Riffer X]

I still don't see how he compared the President to Hitler, I think it was taken out of context. I really don't care though.

[Enigmatic Evil]

You don't pull the hitler card all willy-nilly...

Now we're going to get some stupid rap song as the theme for MNF... mark my words. Or Nickelback... I'll take the rap song.

[Jax Dawg]

Originally Posted by Enigmatic Evil

You don't pull the hitler card all willy-nilly...

Now we're going to get some stupid rap song as the theme for MNF... mark my words. Or Nickelback... I'll take the rap song.

A canuck who doesn't like Nickleback? Next you're gonna say you hate hockey?

[Enigmatic Evil]

I love Hockey but Nickelback is shit. When I was in high school, a kid from my grade went to a local Nickelback concert and he threw his shoe at Chad Kroeger. I envied him.

For Canadian rock and roll, I proclaim RUSH. They are a better band than Nickelback could ever dream to be.

[King of Kings]

Originally Posted by Enigmatic Evil

You don't pull the hitler card all willy-nilly...

It's absolute hilarity how that card is suddenly off limits in America after 8 long years of Hollywood and the media pulling it all day everyday with the last guy. It's funny the outrage when Hank Williams dishes it back out and how "free speech isn't free speech" anymore with the "hey you can't say that!" Especially taking into account the same ESPN losers were defending a basketball or baseball player about 6 or 7 years ago who pulled that comparison out on Dubya as "hey, we have free speech in this country and he's entitled to say that if he wants!"

- Calling a white southern male Hitler every 5 minutes because he's not a limpwristed apologist doling out the food stamps and welfare checks to Afghanistan and Iraq Perfectly acceptable.

- Calling a liberal foreign dictator that's arming and funding a race war in the southwestern United States and letting violent hate groups like the Black Panthers know it's open season on whitey? That's uncalled for! You can't call him that! I mean sure Hitler funded a race war on Saul and there are several things they have in common but still, don't call Chief Teleprompter a mini Hitler.

The media is such a joke.

[Sez.EJ]

Free speech is alive and well. Hank Williams FREELY said what he wanted..and ESPN freely chose to cut his butt for being an ass. You have the freedom to say what you want..it does not mean there are no consequences.. you can freely tell some big dude in the bar he's a sissy boy, and the consequences may be he punches your face in.. you have the right to freely tell your boss to screw off... and he can freely fire you.. it does not diminish your right to speak freely..

Actions and words have consequences..it does not minimize freedom.. Hank Jr. was not thrown in jail, or fined.. only suffered the consequences of his own stupidity.