Hank Williams Jr.
's opening segment for ESPN's
Monday Night Football
telecast will be initially filled by former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders and Detroit-based soul singer Jimmy Scott
and the Selected of God gospel choir. Williams and ESPN parted ways this week after he made derogatory comments about President
Obama during an interview on Fox News'
Fox & Friends. To open Monday's (Oct. 10) game between the Chicago Bears
and the Lions at Detroit's Ford Field, Sanders will provide the narration and Scott and the choir will perform "Ain't No Love
in the Heart of the City," a song popularized by blues vocalist Bobby "Blue" Bland in the '70s. However, an ESPN spokesperson
told the
Detroit Free Press the video is not intended to be a replacement for Williams' famous musical hook -- "Are
you ready for some football? -- based on his hit, "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight." The spokesman said, "The
spot will look different every week." Williams' musical introduction had been featured on
Monday Night Football since
1989.
