For the first time I can remember, my Monday night didn’t begin with my favorite question.
Are you ready for some football?
That’s because legendary country singer Hank Williams Jr. was relieved of his duties as Monday Night Football’s intro singer Monday after making controversial comments about President Barack Obama. Williams said Obama playing golf with Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner would be like Hitler playing golf with Benjamin Netanyahu — the current Prime Minister of Israel.
While Williams’ comments were extreme and out of line, it was by no means cause for his dismissal.
First, why anyone puts any stock into what a musician has to say about politics is beyond me. There’s a reason his profession isn’t political analyst — he doesn’t know a whole lot about it.
Second, if ESPN hadn’t made such a stink about this, few people would even know this happened.
I won’t go off on a political tirade here because, much like Williams, my job isn’t to talk about politics. But if Williams made those comments five years ago about former President George W. Bush, who was constantly maligned and harassed, he would still be the leadoff voice for Monday Night Football.
I guarantee it.
But ESPN loves to throw its immense weight around when it leeches on to a cause. Last summer ESPN  senior college football writer Bruce Feldman was suspended for ghostwriting controversial material in former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach’s book, “Swing Your