ESPN Yanks Hank Williams Jr. From "Monday Night Football"

[DToTheJ]

Why, you ask? He compared President Obama to Hitler on Fox News earlier today.
http://eye-on-football.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22475988/32477014

How fast is Hank Jr. going to turn up singing that song on Fox's pregame show? :

 

[1069_KIFR]

I believe that song is property of ABC/ESPN.

If FOX wants Hank Williams, Jr. they would have to
have another song commissioned and written for them.

 

[ajc_trw]

The quote

"Come on, come on, that would be like Hitler playing golf with [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu," he said. "In the shape this country is in?" :

Hank Williams Jr is, IMHO, an ignorant redneck that needs to be kicked to the curb. This is the perfect time for ABC/ESPN to dump that hick caterwauling.

Mmmm, subtopic, what should be the new MNF theme? ;D

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Mmmm, subtopic, what should be the new MNF theme? ;D

"Ready to Run" - The Dixie Chicks

 

[brian4]

Yuck. There isn't very many circumstances where you can compare anyone to Hitler. Williams Jr. can kiss his career goodbye.

Mmmm, subtopic, what should be the new MNF theme? ;D

"Ready to Run" - The Dixie Chicks

LOL

 

[Nate Wesley]

Mmmm, subtopic, what should be the new MNF theme? ;D

Couldn't we just get Faith Hill to do both Sunday AND Monday Night intros? It wouldn't be that hard, just bleep or punch-out references to 'Sunday', 'Al and Cris' and 'NBC', right?

 

[TheBigA]

Williams Jr. can kiss his career goodbye.

WHAT career? A couple years ago, he bad-mouthed his record label to the media, so he lost that gig.

Back in the 90s, he started showing up drunk to concerts, or not showing up at all. That ended his radio airplay.

This really was all he had. Now he blew this up. He once told me it was the easiest money he ever made. Too bad.

 

[Nate Wesley]

Williams Jr. can kiss his career goodbye.

WHAT career? A couple years ago, he bad-mouthed his record label to the media, so he lost that gig.

Back in the 90s, he started showing up drunk to concerts, or not showing up at all. That ended his radio airplay.

This really was all he had. Now he blew this up. He once told me it was the easiest money he ever made. Too bad.

I'm having a hard time thinking of any celebrity who's gotten more mileage out of their [once] famous name.

 

[Nate Wesley]

At the end of Monday night's The Daily Show during the 'Moment of Zen', they actually played about ten seconds of Fox And Friends' Gretchen Carlson complaining about something comedienne Roseanne Barr said--then contrasted it with Steve Doocy's intro of Hank Jr. to talk about the 2012 election.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/m...nt-of-zen---gretchen-carlson-on-roseanne-barr

Also, PoBocephus has issued an statement where he says his comments were 'misunderstood' and notes that he has 'always respected the office of the President'. Funny:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...nYcB?slug=ap-mondaynightfootball-hankwilliams

http://www.tmz.com/2011/10/03/hank-...day-night-football-comment-was-misunderstood/

 

[Braves2005]

I believe that song is property of ABC/ESPN.

If ABC/ESPN is property to the song then Hank Jr. would have sold them the rights as it's the same song as Hank Jr.'s 1984 hit "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Night" since the song was wrote by him.

 

[imhomerjay]

Just to start something...

George W. Bush has been compared to Hitler by a number of people and it did not hurt their careers.

The Dixie Chicks serve as an example of careers taking a hit for being critical of the previous regieme.

 

[nocomradio]

I kinda fail to see the problem with what he said. He didn't call anyone Hitler, or even compare anyone to Hitler. He simply pointed out that something would be as ludicrous as "Hitler and Netanyahu playing golf together."

Of course, that one sound bite will be the reference for the poo-storm that will entail until Hank Jr is sufficiently chastised and beaten down to satisfy whomever it is has some axe to grind with him or whomever speaks their mind. It is hard in situations like thos to see it any other way, than if you have an opinion that doesn't suit a few influential folks and you speak it, you will be tossed out of the room and quite possibly for good.

I hope he does not apologize, and I hope he continues to say what he feels, even if everyone doesn't agree with him. If he gets racial, or personally attacks someone, then by all means he should be held responsible, but there is far worse said on a daily basis by much more powerful people and they still work.

 

[TheBigA]

It is hard in situations like thos to see it any other way, than if you have an opinion that doesn't suit a few influential folks and you speak it, you will be tossed out of the room and quite possibly for good.

That's the cost of freedom.

By the way, Hank went on to call the President "the enemy." In some countries, that would be viewed as treason, and he would have been killed.

 

[KeithE4]

I kinda fail to see the problem with what he said. He didn't call anyone Hitler, or even compare anyone to Hitler. He simply pointed out that something would be as ludicrous as "Hitler and Netanyahu playing golf together."

He did call Obama and Biden "the enemy." You don't do that, even if you don't happen to like the current occupier of the White House. While he didn't advocate violence, I wouldn't be surprised if he was visited by the Secret Service in the next few days, if only to send him a message that a President, by definition, is not "the enemy."

All the Dixie Chicks did was say that they were ashamed that both they and Dubya were from Texas, and look what it got them. Calling a President "the enemy" is far worse - and on the thinnest edge of one's First Amendment rights.

Of course, that one sound bite will be the reference for the poo-storm that will entail until Hank Jr is sufficiently chastised and beaten down to satisfy whomever it is has some axe to grind with him or whomever speaks their mind. It is hard in situations like thos to see it any other way, than if you have an opinion that doesn't suit a few influential folks and you speak it, you will be tossed out of the room and quite possibly for good.

I hope he does not apologize, and I hope he continues to say what he feels, even if everyone doesn't agree with him. If he gets racial, or personally attacks someone, then by all means he should be held responsible, but there is far worse said on a daily basis by much more powerful people and they still work.

He can give his opinion all he wants. He does so at his own risk to his income. And ESPN may not even have to make a decision to get rid of him. If Roger Goodell tells ESPN that Hank Williams Jr. has to go, then he will go. The NFL isn't shy about dictating to its broadcast partners (remember Playmakers, again from ESPN?).

 

[BlueWanderer]

Maybe ESPN wanted to retire that theme for a while but couldn't and this was the excuse to do so. Seeing how this happen so quickly made me arrive to this conclusion. Then again, I don't follow MNF so I could be very wrong about that.

 

[Mario500]

Maybe ESPN wanted to retire that theme for a while but couldn't and this was the excuse to do so. Seeing how this happen so quickly made me arrive to this conclusion. Then again, I don't follow MNF so I could be very wrong about that.

I was thinking they wanted to rid themselves of the opening, too, and this incident involving the singer gave them the opportunity to do so. It's a good guess and you don't have to be a regular viewer or listener of "Monday Night Football" to think so.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Mmmm, subtopic, what should be the new MNF theme? ;D

Couldn't we just get Faith Hill to do both Sunday AND Monday Night intros? It wouldn't be that hard, just bleep or punch-out references to 'Sunday', 'Al and Cris' and 'NBC', right?

NNNNOOOOO!!!! Faith Hill's SNF theme jumped the shark even before the 2007 season (after Pink did it the first NBC season), IMO. NBC IMO needs to cancel her theme too.

 

[ercjncpr]

Biggest fans of Monday Night Football are all clones of Hank Williams Jr., so I don't see the problem here ;D

 

[searadiofreak]

Naw, y'all are missing the real story here.

Monday Night Football needs a new theme, and this is just a way of calling attention to it. Media 101, guys.

 

[WPPCProductions]

What gets me is why these actors,singers and sports figures say crap about world leaders like the president.I know they have the right of freedom of speach and some times they are right.But if they in the public eye they are watched with a microscope.and pay for it at the end.I do like Hank Williams JR and also like the Dixie Chicks. but they should keep their opinions to themselves.