ESPN Denies Removing Paul Finebaum

A report from Outkick’s Clay Travis said Disney/ESPN pulled longtime SEC analyst Paul Finebaum from all ESPN appearances after an interview in which he said he is considering a Republican run for the U.S. Senate in Alabama, a claim later echoed by On3 and AL.com. ESPN Vice President of Communications Bill Hofheimer denied the report as "TOTALLY FALSE" and the network has issued similar pushbacks. Finebaum has continued to host The Paul Finebaum Show and has appeared on SEC Nation, but has been notably absent from SportsCenter, First Take and Get Up since the interview. Finebaum said the assassination of commentator Charlie Kirk made him rethink his priorities and spurred his interest in politics, though he has not declared a campaign. Reports say ESPN is lining up other college-football analysts in case he departs, and the situation remains a developing story with conflicting accounts.