A change of heart…
SEC Network host and longtime ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum says he is “considering” leaving the sports network to mount a run for the U.S. Senate as a Republican.
In an exclusive interview with OutKick’s Clay Travis, Finebaum said the recent assassination of popular conservative activist Charlie Kirk made him reconsider his priorities. The 70-year-old radio and TV host said he struggled to do his show shortly after hearing about the tragedy.
“I spent four hours numb talking about things that didn’t matter to me. And it kept building throughout that weekend,” Finebaum told Travis. “I felt very empty doing what I was doing that day.”
Finebaum said that while he didn’t know Kirk personally, his assassination had a massive impact on him.
“It’s hard to describe, not being involved in politics, how that affected me and affected tens of millions of people all over this country. And it was an awakening,” he said.
Travis noted that Finebaum is hardly the first individual from the sports world to make the jump to politics. Tommy Tuberville, who previously coached football for Auburn University, is one of Alabama’s senators and is running for governor of the state. The campaign poses a potential open seat ripe for Finebaum’s taking. However, Finebaum said she was reluctant to consider the possibility because former Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl had expressed interest in the seat. (RELATED: ESPN Host Hints At Seriously Considering 2028 Run, ‘Democrats Are Lost’)
But once Pearl said that wasn’t his plan, Finebaum changed his perspective.
“I was… hesitant at first because I was very aware of Bruce’s interest and [I’m a] huge fan of Bruce… I didn’t take it too seriously,” Finebaum said. “I ended up talking to someone… who made it clear that there was a desire for me to be involved. And this person… was compelling and compassionate in the approach to me, and I started thinking about this.”
Finebaum has spent his professional career working in the media, starting as a columnist in Birmingham before eventually hosting the “Paul Finebaum Show” on local Alabama radio. As the show’s popularity and reach grew, ESPN hired him and brought the show to anchor the launch of the new SEC Network in 2014.
Finebaum admitted that he has been hesitant to discuss his politics while at ESPN – both because of the company’s policy on politics and because he didn’t want to alienate anyone in his audience – but is ready to proudly declare he’s a registered Republican.
“I’ve never said this before, but why am I going to hold this back? I just moved and registered in Alabama, but I am a registered Republican in North Carolina as of this hour. And I was a registered Republican in Alabama before I moved,” he said.
Travis asked Finebaum if he voted for President Donald Trump.
“Yes, but [ESPN] also tells us not to discuss that,” he quipped with a laugh.
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Finebaum noted that if he were to get the seal of approval from the United States he would definitely run.
“If the President of the United States says, ‘Paul, you’re my guy.’ Can you tell him no?” Travis asked, pointedly.
“Impossible to tell him no. There’s no way I could. I would tell him yes,” Finebaum replied.