ESPN yanks Hank Williams Jr, should they sack him too?
OPINION - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has handed out fines and suspensions to your brethren that you've found displeasure with; this is an opportunity for you to flex a little...
You had to see it.
Country singer Hank Williams, Jr., hiding behind shades, a trucker’s hat and a beard that most people who believe in cleanliness would be hard-pressed to let him sit at their dinner table with for fear that a flea infestation was inevitable, arms folded across his gut, ready to insert foot in mouth.
Using English that clearly demonstrated that Williams, Jr., the voice of Monday Night Football — well, perhaps the former voice of MNF as of last night — probably posted abysmal numbers on statewide standardized tests when he was coming up, uttered this career wrecker:
“C’mon, c’mon,” drawled the Shreveport, La. born Williams, Jr. when asked about a friendly game of golf between President and Obama and House Speaker John Boehner. “It’d be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli leader) Benjamin Netanyahu,” which Williams, in all his phonetic mastery, he transformed into “net-and-Yahoo.”
WATCH ‘ED SHOW’ COVERAGE OF THE HANK WILLIAMS JR COMMENT CONTROVERSY:
[MSNBCMSN video=”http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640″ w=”592″ h=”346″ launch_id=”44766621″ id=”msnbc10c6cc”]
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
He went on to describe President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden as “the enemy” and, in his infinite wisdom, insisted that those two were three people, something that the hosts tried to correct him on but abandoned that idea knowing that his muddled mind was in no condition to surmise the difference between two and three.
This was just minutes after hosts Brian Kilmeade had serenaded him in his intro as country “royalty,” and co-host Steve Doocy had labeled him “country, singer superstar Hank Williams, Jr.”
However, after the imbecile that has already laid out plans to run for the Senate in 2012 said what he said, those Fox personalities and their co-host Gretchen Carlson, whom Williams, Jr. had already lusted over, spent the rest of the interview with that awkward look of half amazement (over the stupidity of the statement) and befuddlement (same thing) plastered on their faces until the banjo man signed off from a Nashville studio.
Later in the day, ESPN announced it was pulling Williams, Jr’s MNF theme song (the ubiquitous “Are You Ready for Some Football?”) from its broadcast of the Indianapolis vs. Tampa Bay game.
There was no telling whether ESPN would allow Williams song to remain as the intro to MNF, but I’ve got a hunch the overrated jingle might be gone forever. Williams tried to clean it up later with a clumsy, half-hearted apology. In an excuse that was at best laughable for its disingenuousness, Williams said in a statement that he was “simply trying to show how stupid it seemed to me — how ludicrous that pairing was.”
Honestly, his handlers should be fired. Obama and the Speaker teed it up because they were trying to reconcile the debt ceiling, that little problem we had over the summer that cost the country its AAA plus rating from Standard & Poor. Of course, they probably fully comprehended that a few hours after the gaffe simply wasn’t enough time to bring this dullard into understanding on this and just said ‘what the heck’.
Of course, it’s difficult to blame Williams, Jr. for his angst and frustration. Think about it. He’s a second generation country singer — not nearly as respected as his father in any circles — whose grandchildren would probably prefer to listen to Lil’ Wayne and Nicki Minaj over any of his musical offerings. So he will tell anyone willing to listen that his culture has been hijacked; he is unwavering in this.
He’s one of these poor, tortured souls that fancies himself losing his country, someone who sees melting pot America as the worst possible penance for this country to pay; his anger is unmitigated.
And while they took on the look of horror in the studio when Williams, Jr. commenced to strut and parade his ignorance, Fox and its right wing brethren in broadcasting do everything possible to facilitate loathing of Barack Obama. From the birth certificate fiasco to the outward acts of affection Obama and his wife shared that Fox diabolically transformed into a “terrorist fist jab,” the network breathes life into racial animus as adroitly as Picasso painted.
Should the song be allowed back?
Hell, no. No one needs to be reminded of how vile a human being Hitler was. To compare him to the president is an insult, a slap in the face that cannot be tolerated, and a mistake that this angry, marginally talented musician deserves to pay all the consequences associated with his egregious, dimwitted pronouncement.
This is the perfect time for the Michael Vicks and Chris Johnsons of the world to really and truly keep it real. There is labor harmony between players and management; the $9 billion pie has been divided and both parties are elated.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has handed out fines and suspensions to your brethren that you’ve found displeasure with; this is an opportunity for you to flex a little.
Rather than host another All White Party — or All Black; there is a chill in the air — focus that same energy on ensuring that your majority African-American league doesn’t have a man unwilling to extend the president of the United States the respect the office demands by removing him from your league’s signature broadcast.
Then we will all be ready for some more football.
