Paul Finebaum Is Not Banned From ESPN Networks Despite Rumors

Finebaum sparked some controversy last week in an interview with "Outkick," in which he expressed his interest in running for the Senate.
College football analyst Paul Finebaum was not banned from ESPN despite some reports.
College football analyst Paul Finebaum was not banned from ESPN despite some reports. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

On Monday, it was reported that ESPN was banning college football personality Paul Finebaum from its networks one week after he addressed possibly running for a Senate seat. Outkick's Clay Travis had reported that ESPN removed Finebaum from all its programs, which has turned out not to be true.

Since Travis's report on Monday, other reports have confirmed that Finebaum's appearances on ESPN have not come to an end just because of him declaring that he's interested in running for the Senate chair in Alabama. ESPN vice president of communications Bill Hofheimer even quote tweeted Travis's report to deny it.

“This is not true at all. The below is TOTALLY FALSE,” Hofheimer wrote.

Additionally, Sports Business Journal's Austin Karp confirmed that Finebaum is on the schedule to appear on ESPN's First Take on Tuesday morning.

Since the Outkick interview last Tuesday in which Finebaum addressed his interest in politics and when he also confirmed his support of Donald Trump, the college football analyst hasn't appeared on the official ESPN network. He's made appearances on SEC Network and ESPN-owned podcasts, but this Tuesday's First Take will be his first ESPN appearance since the controversial interview.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.