By In a striking departure from talking about college football, longtime broadcaster Paul Finebaum has acknowledged he is considering leaving ESPN for a bid at the U.S. Senate as a Republican. The revelation, he said, emerged from the shock of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing earlier this month—a moment Finebaum described as nothing short of transformative.
Speaking with Clay Travis of OutKick, the 70-year-old host revealed that figures in Washington had approached him in recent days to explore a possible candidacy. The overture coincided with the violent death of Kirk, who was fatally shot at age 31 during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10. Finebaum admitted the episode shook him to his core. “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,” he reflected.
Senator @finebaum? Paul Finebaum is seriously considering entering the Alabama senate race. For the first time he publicly says he is a @realDonaldTrump supporter and voter. We sat down for a long form chat this weekend in Athens. pic.twitter.com/5TAzdykU13
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) September 29, 2025
Finebaum went on to explain that the outreach began almost immediately. “… One or two people in Washington had reached out to me about whether I would be interested in politics, something I never thought about before. Something I didn’t really think possible. I gave some thought to it as the [after Kirk’s murder] weekend unfolded and got a little bit more interested.”
Authorities have charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of Utah with the crime after a manhunt involving FBI agents. Prosecutors have signaled their intention to pursue the death penalty, reported The New York Post.
Initially, Finebaum resisted the political overtures, mindful of the ambitions of former Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl, who stepped away from his post only last week. As he put it: “I was… hesitant at first because I was very aware of Bruce’s interest and [I’m a] huge fan of Bruce… I didn’t take it too seriously.” Yet a subsequent conversation altered that calculation. “I ended up talking to someone… who made it clear that there was a desire for me to be involved. And this person… was compelling and compassionate in the approach to me, and I started thinking about this.”
The prospective opening arises from Senator Tommy Tuberville’s decision to seek the Alabama governorship, which could vacate his seat and create a rare opportunity in the state’s political landscape.
Finebaum admitted the events also reshaped his perspective on his day-to-day work. Anchoring ESPN’s SEC Network, he has long been a dominant voice in college football, but the Kirk tragedy, he said, made his duties feel hollow. “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.”
For now, Finebaum remains on air, a fixture of southern sports culture. But whether his next act takes him from Saturday broadcasts to the Senate floor may depend on how fully this moment of political awakening takes hold.
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