Does Paul Finebaum Still Have A Future At ESPN? | Bobby Burack

Paul Finebaum returned to ESPN’s main channel on Tuesday, a week after the company canceled his regularly scheduled appearances following an interview with OutKick.

Before looking ahead, here’s a recap of what happened in order of occurrence:

• Finebaum told Clay Travis he was considering running for Senate in Alabama as a Republican, that he voted for Donald Trump, and ESPN spiked a planned interview between him and the president.
• For obvious reasons, ESPN management did not approve of the interview or his comments.
• The network removed him from scheduled appearances on Get Up, First Take, and SportsCenter.
• Clay Travis reported the ban on Monday.
• ESPN public relations manager Bill Hofheimer called Clay’s report "totally false."
• The story was picked up nationally by outlets including Fox News and CNN.
• After losing the PR battle, ESPN changed its story and sent reporters an email saying it had removed Finebaum, but only to test potential replacements in case he runs for office.
• The network told reporters Finebaum would appear on First Take and Get Up on Tuesday in an obvious attempt to save face.
• One problem: ESPN had not told Finebaum.
• ESPN informed him of the newly scheduled appearances Monday evening.
• Finebaum appeared on the network on Tuesday, during which Stephen A. Smith joked that he "missed him last week."

In short, ESPN banned Finebaum, denied banning him, then admitted it did but for a different reason, and later lifted the ban.

Got all that?

Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; ESPN announcer Paul Finebaum before the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Finebaum Has Not Yet Made A Decision 

Looking ahead, Finebaum has not decided whether he will run for the Alabama Senate. Either way, he plans to continue working at ESPN through the end of the college football season in January.

At this point, ESPN would likely prefer that Finebaum leave to run for office this winter. That outcome would allow both sides to present his departure as amicable and remove the decision from ESPN’s hands.

However, if Finebaum chooses not to run, the question becomes whether he can continue covering college football at ESPN. 

History suggests otherwise. The last three ESPN hosts who voiced conservative beliefs—Sam Ponder, Ashley Brewer, and Sage Steele—no longer work at the company. ESPN fired Ponder and Brewer and reached a settlement to part ways with Steele.

Sources say management views Finebaum’s situation as even more complicated because they believe he criticized the company during his OutKick interview.

Still, Finebaum remains one of ESPN’s most valuable personalities. A company can't just replace him with some random DEI hire and expect the same results. (Sorry, Elle.) He has a large, loyal following that extends beyond the network. There is no direct replacement for him on radio, SEC Network, or ESPN. His deep ties to the SEC—a conference with which ESPN has a 10-year, $3 billion deal—also give him a unique degree of leverage.

From a business standpoint, ESPN would not want to lose Finebaum. The question is how much ego and political biases might influence the network’s decision.

ESPN And Finebaum Are Tied Together, Contractually, For Nearly Two More Years

There is also a scenario in which Finebaum pushes ESPN to release him, even if he doesn't plan to run for office. Remember, the network essentially suspended him while allowing Stephen A. Smith to remain on air despite publicly considering a run for president as a Democrat. 

He also knows he could likely make more money hosting his radio show and simulcast independently, partnering with platforms such as iHeart, Cumulus, DraftKings, FanDuel, YouTube, Fox Sports, or Barstool.

Paul Finebaum doesn't need ESPN. The way the company has treated him the past week gives him reason to want to prove that. 

Note: His contract with ESPN runs through August 2027, sources say. 

Overall, the events of the past week are more likely than not to lead to Finebaum's exit – whether he runs for Alabama Senate or not.

That would be a significant loss for ESPN, one that would leave the network regretting how it handled the controversy.