BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — ESPN is pulling Hank Williams’ classic intro song from Monday night’s broadcast of the game between Tampa Bay and Indianapolis after the country singer used an analogy to Adolf Hitler in discussing President Barack Obama.
In an interview Monday morning on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” Williams 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.
In a statement, ESPN 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.”
The network didn’t say its statement whether Williams’ song, which features the line “Are you ready for some football?” would be pulled beyond the Buccaneers-Colts game.
