Only the ultimate orchestrator of college football melodrama, Paul Finebaum, can have a dramatic start to his career. After being the voice of the SEC for more than a decade, Finebaum shared a chapter from his life. This one dates back to when he joined the SEC in 2013 and thought his career was over even before it started.

“President of South Carolina complains about me, and [Mike] Slive doesn’t have any idea,” Finebaum said on That SEC Podcast on July 26. “He said, “What? That’s outrageous.” So, Slive just calls me and starts chewing me out. You can’t explain your way out of that. You can’t blame it all on Steve Spurrier, who called his own player a joke. But anyway, that was something. “I mean, the network had not started yet, and they were thinking about firing me.”

The story was just months after the ESPN broadcaster’s hiring by the network. Before the season started in August, ESPN asked him to move to Charlotte to host a radio show for ESPN. Finebaum was doing a number of shows, and in one of those appearances, he called out South Carolina player Jadeveon Clowney as the biggest joke in college football. He heavily pushed the narrative that Clowney was being “lazy” and was protected by hype for missing practices. The situation took a nasty turn for Finebaum.

South Carolina Athletic Director Ray Tanner went on the Gamecock/IMG Sports Network to publicly label Finebaum’s comments as “unprofessional, unnecessary, and inappropriate.” Apparently, the Gamecocks’ AD heard that Finebaum discussed Clowney being suspended. That was not the case. Tanner was so furious that he even considered filing a complaint against the SEC Network.

According to Finebaum, the real culprit behind the whole escapade was South Carolina’s legendary head coach, Steve Spurrier. He was visibly agitated with Clowney’s game and behavior, and he spoke to Finebaum about it. His views were a reflection of what he heard from the head coach. While the Finebaum we know now never apologizes after any hot take, this time he did.

Finebaum confessed on-air, stating: “It was the wrong thing to say for someone in my position. Just because you think something at the moment doesn’t mean you can say it. I knew better when I said it. I think it was hurtful, and I’m truly sorry.”

Paul Finebaum comparing his experience with Urban Meyer’s Jaguars stint

The whole ordeal was tough for Paul Finebaum. However, it’s just a footnote in the book of tales about the fallout he has had from his comments. Some SEC head coaches may even go on record to discuss their displeasure with what comes out of Finebaum’s mouth. In hindsight, the ESPN broadcaster compared it to Urban Meyer’s worst coaching stint of his career.

“I had my wife quit her job and had already moved to Charlotte. I thought that this might be the shortest run ever. This might be a worse gig than Urban Meyer with the Jaguars,” Finebaum said.

Many people consider Urban Meyer’s 2021 stint with Jacksonville the most disastrous in modern NFL history. They fired him with cause after just 11 months and 13 games. The former CFB head coach who won three national titles finished his NFL stint with a 2-11 record. Moreover, he wasn’t even fired for on-field performances. The off-field issues became the trigger. Meyer’s jump from college football legend to NFL head coach lasted exactly 336 days.