Paul Finebaum didn’t appear on his regular SportsCenter hit Sunday morning to discuss college football. This was followed by a report from OutKick’s Clay Travis, claiming that Finebaum is reportedly considering leaving the network to run for a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama.
Finebaum’s political interest was reportedly met with Disney taking severe action over his appearances on the network. According to Travis’ X post, Disney has removed the ESPN analyst from all network appearances.
“ESPN has canceled all network appearances on all shows, including some that have occurred for a decade plus,” Travis wrote on X. “Finebaum is not an announced candidate for Alabama senate yet.”
Travis also questioned why the network didn’t come up with the same action when renowned ‘First Take’ host Stephen A. Smith also expressed political interest.
“ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has discussed running for president as a Democrat, and the network has taken no action in this matter,” Travis added. “OutKick has requested comment from ESPN (and) Disney, and a story will be forthcoming on site.”
Per sources: Disney/ESPN has removed @finebaum from appearing on @ESPN since his @outkick interview expressing interest in running as a Republican for senate in Alabama. ESPN has canceled all network appearances on all shows, including some that have occurred for a decade plus.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 6, 2025
While Finebaum may have missed the Sunday morning show, he did join Matt Barrie for the College Football show.
ESPN’s Public Relations Department VP Denies Paul Finebaum Report But Clay Travis Hits Back
Seeing this news made Bill Hofheimer, who is the VP of ESPN’s Public Relations Department, call out the report “false.”
“This is not true at all,” he wrote. “The below is TOTALLY FALSE.”
This is not true at all. The below is TOTALLY FALSE. https://t.co/nmnBA9mj13
— bill hofheimer (@bhofheimer_espn) October 6, 2025
However, upon seeing this, Clay Travis, who broke the news, said he trusts his sources while calling out the VP, saying it’s above his pay grade.
“LOL. This decision is above your pay grade, Bill. Why wasn’t Finebaum on Sunday AM SportsCenter yesterday,” Travis wrote. “Or First Take this morning? For the first time in over a decade? Reacting to one of the biggest college football weekends of the year? I stand by my sources.”
LOL. This decision is above your pay grade, Bill. Why wasn’t @finebaum on Sunday AM SportsCenter yesterday? Or First Take this morning? For the first time in over a decade? Reacting to one of the biggest college football weekends of the year? I stand by my sources. https://t.co/ZJ1Z65mJG9
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 6, 2025
Finebaum’s interest in politics arose after Charlie Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University. Immediately after Kirk’s death, the ESPN analyst did a radio show where he lamented that he was not involved in politics. Finebaum is well aware that retired Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl was previously interested in the same Senate seat. But now that Pearl has taken a backseat regarding his interest in running, Finebaum is thinking about it and will come up with an answer in the next 30-45 days.
Read More News:
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
