-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- ESPN says it has severed its relationship with singer Hank Williams Jr. . `` We have decided to part ways with Hank Williams Jr. . We appreciate his contributions over the past years , '' the network said in a statement released Thursday . The success of ` Monday Night Football ' has always been about the games and that will continue . '' Williams , the 62-year-old son of the legendary country singer Hank Williams and a widely popular entertainer himself , compared President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler , a remark that prompted controversy and resulted in `` Monday Night Football '' pulling his popular musical introduction from this week 's game . The song `` All My Rowdy Friends '' had been the `` Monday Night Football '' theme on both ABC and ESPN since 1991 . Williams issued a statement giving a very different version : `` After reading hundreds of e-mails , I have made MY decision . By pulling my opening Oct 3rd , You -LRB- ESPN -RRB- 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 . '' In an appearance on Fox News ' `` Fox and Friends '' on Monday morning , Williams referred to a June golf game in which Obama and House Speaker John Boehner were on the same team , against Vice President Joe Biden and Ohio Gov. John Kasich , as `` one of the biggest political mistakes ever . '' Asked what he did n't like about it , Williams said , `` Come on , come on . That 'd be like Hitler playing golf with -LRB- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin -RRB- Netanyahu . OK . Not hardly . '' When one of the Fox News interviewers later pointed out that Williams invoked `` one of the most hated people in all of the world to describe ... the president , '' Williams responded : `` That is true , but I 'm telling you like it is , you know . That just was n't a good thing . It just did n't fly . So anyway , like Fred Thompson said , you do n't want to ask me a question because I 'm going to give you too straight of an answer . So talk about something else . '' The singer apologized on Tuesday , saying , `` My analogy was extreme -- but it was to make a point . `` I have always been very passionate about politics and sports and this time it got the best or worst of me . `` The thought of the leaders of both parties jukin ' and high fiven ' on a golf course , while so many families are struggling to get by , simply made me boil over and make a dumb statement , and I am very sorry if it offended anyone . I would like to thank all my supporters . This was not written by some publicist , '' Williams wrote . The Anti-Defamation League condemned Williams ' comments on Tuesday and praised ESPN for pulling his `` Are You Ready for Some Football ? '' musical recording that has opened `` Monday Night Football '' for years . `` The Holocaust was a singular event in human history , and it is an insult to the memory of the millions who died as a result of Hitler 's plan of mass extermination to compare the Nazi dictator to any American president , '' said Abraham H. Foxman , the league 's national director and a Holocaust survivor . `` Hank Williams Jr. should know better . He owes an apology to Holocaust survivors , their families , and the brave American soldiers who gave of themselves to fight the Nazi menace during World War II . The last thing we need is to enter another election cycle on a sour note tainted with inappropriate , tired and over-the-top analogies to the Nazis , '' he said . Williams has criticized Obama in the past , when the Democrat was running for the presidency . In 2008 , Williams was even mentioned in some media outlets as saying he was considering running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican in the next election cycle , but those plans never materialized . Williams , who supported the Republican ticket in 2008 and even penned a song called `` McCain-Palin Tradition , '' said during that campaign that candidate Obama did n't like the national anthem . The `` McCain-Palin Tradition '' song , which is a riff on the Williams tune `` Family Tradition , '' included a line suggesting that Obama has `` terrorist friends . '' . Williams was born May 26 , 1949 , and his iconic father nicknamed him `` Bocephus '' after a ventriloquist dummy used by Rod Brasfield , a country comedian , Williams ' website says . He debuted on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville , Tennessee , at age 11 . In addition to `` All My Rowdy Friends , '' his other hits include `` Long Gone Lonesome Blues , '' `` Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound , '' `` Old Habits , '' `` Born to Boogie , '' and `` A Country Boy Can Survive . '' The bearded Williams , who wears a hat and sunglasses during performances , suffered facial and head injuries in a 1975 mountain climbing accident . `` Those familiar with Hank Jr. 's legend know it has n't been an easy road . Every life and career has its peaks and valleys , but Williams has had more than his share . When he sings `` A Country Boy Can Survive , '' there 's an authority in his voice , because he 's done just that . He literally fell from a mountain top , yet lived to tell the tale . He 's battled his own demons and now on the other side of 50 , it 's obvious he has been the victor , '' his website bio says .