Paul Finebaum blasts campaign against Bryan Harsin, reveals how he has responded

Bryan Harsin has done his best to put his offseason saga at Auburn to rest. However, it has at times remained the elephant in the room down on The Plains. As the storyline persists in the background, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum took his criticism of the situation to the next level.

Finebaum further discussed Harsin’s problem with boosters and media around Auburn on Monday’s episode of ‘McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning’. He went on to name one publication who contributed to how Harsin was perceived as his first year went on.

“I think Bryan Harsin has been a true profile in courage (and) of what you should be as a head football coach. Yes, ultimately, he has to win. We know that…In many ways, (al.com) continued and they set a pattern before the guy had ever coached a game,” said Finebaum. “That was terribly unfair. I like him very much and I think he’s a very thoughtful coach. I think he sets a great example.”

Harsin has dealt with multiple issues since his hiring in December 2020. From storylines regarding his vaccination status to an investigation into his conduct both in and out of the program following the season, it has at times been a surprise that he has remained the head man at Auburn through it all. In the end, so many of those headlines weren’t as real as once reported. That’s why Paul Finebaum has, on numerous occasions, credited Harsin for his resolve. He thinks Harsin handled his treatment by ‘cockroaches’ over the last year extremely well.

“Ultimately, that’s not what he’ll be judged by,” said Finebaum. “In terms of winning people over that were on the fence with Bryan Harsin, I think he deserves tremendous praise for taking a road less traveled and taking on those who tried to fire him and who creep in the middle of the night like cockroaches trying to get a man fired with no justification and not one scintilla of evidence.”

Harsin has said that it is time to put this all behind them in order to prepare for this fall. However, it is hard to ignore the pressure he’ll be under because of this backstory. If the Tigers aren’t competitive again this season, it’ll just be another piece of evidence against his legitimacy. Be that as it may, he has set the right standard in Paul Finebaum’s opinion by handling it in this manner so far. While his problems off the field remain, it is now on him to have it fall to the wayside because of his team’s performance in 2022.