Report: Paul Finebaum 'very close' to leaving ESPN for politics

According to Front Office Sports, Paul Finebaum is “very close” to leaving ESPN in favor of getting involved in politics. Finebaum previously discussed the possibility of running for Senate in Alabama, replacing Tommy Tuberville. Now, he might be closing in on a decision.

“Paul Finebaum is ‘very close’ to leaving ESPN to jump into national politics, sources tell FOS,” they said via X. “Finebaum, who is considering a run for the U.S. Senate as a Republican in Alabama, is waiting to make a decision on his political future until after the college football season.”

Three weeks remain in the college football regular season, before conference championships take place on Dec. 6. Finebaum will likely be focused on the SEC title game in Atlanta, which is coming down to an exciting race down the stretch.

From there, the College Football Playoff would take place over the course of a month. Dec. 19 and Dec. 20 serve as the first-round dates, set to be on college campuses. The quarterfinals and semifinals take place on neutral site locations before the CFP national championship is played on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Based on the timeline provided by FOS, a choice might be made in the final days of January or early February. But it appears as if Finebaum is leaning toward entering the political world.

Paul Finebaum explains thought process behind potential political career

If Finebaum opts to run for public office, it’ll be a brand new experience for him. Finebaum has no previous political experience. He spoke with Outkick‘s Clay Travis on Sept. 29, saying the death of political activist Charlie Kirk made him consider running for Senate.

“I spent four hours numb, talking about things that didn’t matter to me. And it kept building throughout that weekend,” Finebaum said. “I felt very empty doing what I was doing that day … 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.”

Paul Finebaum was initially hesitant to even consider running for Senate due to former Auburn men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl. Always open to discussing political issues, there were rumors of Pearl being interested in running for the same Senate position after his retirement. However, Pearl came out and said the seat is not something he plans to pursue at the moment, leaving the door open for Finebaum.