Hank Williams Jr., ESPN take credit for "Monday Night Football" decision

Hank Williams Jr., ESPN ax “Monday Night Football” theme

Earlier this week we reported that Hank Williams Jr. had come under fire for comments he made comparing President Obama to Hitler. ESPN had responded to the incident by pulling Williams’ theme from their “Monday Night Football” program. Yesterday the decision was made to ax the theme completely, but both parties are taking credit for the decision.

The Associated Press reports that both ESPN and Williams released statements yesterday, pulling “Are You Ready For Some Football” from the “Monday Night Football” program. Previously, Williams had released a statement apologizing for his comments and saying that they were misunderstood. Apparently, Williams decided to change tactics on Thursday and decided to release another statement. The statement reads, “After reading hundreds of e-mails, I have made MY decision. 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.”

At about the same time, ESPN released a statement, saying, “We have decided to part ways with Hank Williams Jr. We appreciate his contributions over the past years. The success of ‘Monday Night Football’ has always been about the games and that will continue.”

ESPN claims it informed Williams of its decision early Thursday, while Williams claims he made his decision to walk away on Wednesday night.

What do you think? Did ESPN infringe on Williams’ right to freedom of speech? Was Williams’ change of tactics just his way of using the ‘you can’t fire me, I quit’ tactic? Will this affect Hank Williams Jr. or ESPN’s popularity? Share your thoughts with us!