The sports media world got a jolt Monday when OutKick’s Clay Travis dropped a bombshell on social media, claiming ESPN had quietly removed Paul Finebaum from all network appearances. This happened after the longtime SEC analyst expressed interest in running for U.S. Senate in Alabama. Travis didn’t hold back, stating that “Disney/ESPN has removed @finebaum from appearing on @ESPN since his @outkick interview expressing interest in running as a Republican for senate in Alabama” and that the network “has canceled all network appearances on all shows, including some that have occurred for a decade plus.”

But as soon as the tweet started to garner attention, a swift denial entered by ESPN’s Bill Hofheimer, the network’s VP of public relations. Bill wasted no time in shutting down the report by Travis, saying, “This is not true at all. The below is TOTALLY FALSE.” It was the categorical denial that either shuts down a story immediately or sets up an even bigger confrontation, and in this case, it was the latter. 

Travis wasn’t having it. His response to Hofheimer was dripping with condescension and doubled down on the original claim. “LOL. This decision is above your pay grade, Bill. Why wasn’t @finebaum on Sunday AM SportsCenter yesterday? Or First Take this morning? For the first time in over a decade? Reacting to one of the biggest college football weekends of the year? I stand by my sources,” Travis fired back. All their questions are fair, and they make sense. Finebaum is known for his Sunday SportsCenter appearances, but decided not to be there out of the blue? Travis also talked about having insider sources beyond what Hofheimer would have access to.

Travis’s thread didn’t stop at just reporting the alleged ban. He brought up the recent Jimmy Kimmel controversy on Disney-owned ABC, where the late-night host was suspended for four days before returning to air amid free speech debates. “The left wing rallied around Kimmel’s free speech rights in that case. Will they rally for @finebaum as well?” Travis questioned, clearly trying to frame this as a political freedom issue. The catalyst for Finebaum’s political awakening, according to his OutKick interview, was the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on September 10 at Utah Valley University, an event that left the 70-year-old analyst feeling “empty” doing his radio show afterward. Finebaum told Travis he’d been contacted by “one or two people in Washington” gauging his interest, and if President Trump personally asked him to run, he couldn’t refuse.

What we know as of now is that, while Finebaum missed SportsCentre and First Take, he did appear on ESPN’s YouTube channel during his weekly segment with Matt Barney. Finebaum signed a multiyear contract extension with ESPN in 2024 and has said he’d make a decision about running for Senate within 30-45 days, with the Alabama qualifying deadline not until January 26, 2026. Whether this is a legitimate political censorship issue or simply a scheduling coincidence blown out of proportion remains to be seen, but Travis clearly isn’t backing down from his reporting, and ESPN’s official denial hasn’t included any explanation for why their most prominent college football analyst was MIA during primetime slots.

Another voice joins the chorus

Shortly after Clay Travis dropped his bombshell report, the story gained even more credibility when On3’s Pete Nakos stepped in to back it up. Nakos confirmed Travis’s claims that Paul Finebaum is currently not appearing on ESPN-branded networks, adding weight to what could have otherwise been dismissed as OutKick trying to stir the pot. 

On3’s Twitter handle put out a tweet saying, “ On3’s Pete Nakos has confirmed this report.” Clay Travis also replied to the tweet saying, “Ofcourse, he has. It’s 100% true.” Now, this is much more than just an allegation because one of the most respected journalistic voices out there has confirmed that Paul Finebaum is no longer part of ESPN.