ESPN Denies Benching Analyst Paul Finebaum Over Senate Run Speculation

Paul Finebaum, a prominent ESPN college football analyst, is reportedly facing reduced appearances on ESPN programming following an interview where he expressed interest in running for the U.S. Senate seat in Alabama as a Republican. OutKick founder Clay Travis reported that Disney/ESPN removed Finebaum from all network appearances after the interview, a claim ESPN vehemently denies, calling it "TOTALLY FALSE." While Finebaum has been absent from some of his regular TV slots, such as Sunday SportsCenter and First Take, he has continued to host his show on the SEC Network and appeared on ESPN's YouTube channel. ESPN’s Vice President of PR, Bill Hofheimer, refuted the claims publicly, but Travis insists the decision to bench Finebaum is above Hofheimer's authority and questions Finebaum's absence from key broadcasts. Finebaum’s potential political run was reportedly inspired by the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk and has drawn attention due to his voting support for President Donald Trump. ESPN appears to be preparing for the possibility of Finebaum's political career by adjusting airtime for other analysts.