Todd McShay has been making headlines this week because of his comments on Paul Finebaum, calling him a ‘coward.’ He recalled working alongside Finebaum for “probably a decade” as colleagues and said that he had always been a team player, not passing any comments that were demeaning to Finebaum, and even going on his show a couple of times. All was well before the “Jalen Carter situation.”

And now, in The Todd McShay Show’s latest episode on Thursday, McShay has come armed with receipts and exploded all the resentment for Finebaum that he had been harboring for years (especially because Todd’s buyout period from ESPN ended this week)

Todd McShay and Paul Finebaum had been colleagues for a while. Not friends, just colleagues. But for McShay, even that weak link snapped during Jalen Carter’s situation. Carter’s draft profile was good, an elite talent all around. But there were mounting concerns about his character. McShay said he had “two full pages” of worrisome incidents and reports related to Carter, and he went on-air and shared some bits. He said he would never ever raise character issues without being “100% certain—checked and double checked and triple checked and quadruple checked.” 

But when a caller called in on Paul Finebaum’s show and asked about what his thoughts were on Carter and McShay’s report on him. Finebaum bashed McShay, saying that he had talked to a lot of people in Athens, and McShay’s report is “erroneous” and he should be “reprimanded” for it. And that’s not all, Finebaum even went so far ahead to say that Carter is a model citizen and he should be the face of the Georgia program while bashing McShay.

This is what got McShay off the edge. Fast forward to March 2023, and Carter was arrested for a fatal car crash, which killed a Georgia linebacker and a staff member. Now, instead of apologizing to Todd McShay, Finebaum doubled down on his earlier comments, saying Jalen Carter had an “impeccable record” until last night (the night of the accident), and earlier this year, Todd McShay floated a report accusing him of character issues, but no one in Athens confirmed them. 

This is what angered McShay the most. He said, “Paul, instead of doing the right thing, you just do what you did. You incite more drama. You just throw [expletive] out there that you know nothing about. Paul knew nothing about this situation. He made a call, maybe two, to people who were going to help protect their guy. And he stirs more [expletive] up.” Finebaum’s comments on McShay have made the entire Athens and a good part of the nation hate Todd McShay. McShay ended his monologue with further criticism of Paul Finebaum, saying, “So when I say he’s an all-time coward, that’s why I say it. When I say he has no loyalty, that’s why I say it. And to be honest with you, I think the guy’s a rat. And so he’s perfect to be a politician.”

McShay’s verdict on Paul Finebaum has now landed with a thud. He had been harboring these feelings of resentment for years, and now that he was finally free to share those, he didn’t hesitate. These comments especially make sense in hindsight since Jalen Carter has been fined quite a lot of times until his draft. He was fined around $52000 for spitting on a player in week 1 of 2025 and then again for fined last week for taunting, bringing his total to $70000 in just 2025. So, the misdemeanor is still happening, even in small capacities.

Paul Finebaum’s Senate ambitions

If you’re not aware, why McShay’s roast of Paul Finebaum ended with “And so he’s perfect to be a politician,” here’s the context. After decades of being a sharp-elbowed voice in college football, Finebaum has come out and said that he is considering a pivot to politics. He is specifically considering a bid for Alabama’s U.S. Senate seat. He said, “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.”

The catalyst of this awakening was the death of Charlie Kirk. After hearing about Kirk’s death, Finebaum said, “I spent four hours numb, talking about things that didn’t matter to me. And it kept building throughout that weekend. I felt very empty doing what I was doing that day.”

And now, he is considering running for Alabama’s Senate seat. The timing is perfect because Alabama’s senator Tommy Tuberville is running for governor, so the seat would be empty. Moreover, Finebaum has been living in Alabama for 35 years and is wildly popular because of his broadcasting.