Paul Finebaum makes final decision on US Senate run for Alabama seat

Paul Finebaum makes final decision on US Senate run for Alabama seat originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Paul Finebaum won’t run for U.S. Senate after all. The ESPN analyst confirmed the news Tuesday, ending weeks of speculation that he might pivot from sports talk to politics.

Finebaum told AL.com he was “deeply moved” by the encouragement he received from people across Alabama urging him to enter the race but ultimately decided the timing wasn’t right.

“I have been deeply moved by so many people in Alabama who have reached out encouraging me to run for the United States Senate,” Finebaum said. “It has been a gratifying and rewarding experience.”

He also addressed the topic Monday night on CNN, where he appeared to discuss Lane Kiffin’s move to LSU. With trademark wit, Finebaum joked that he didn’t have the bandwidth to focus on a Senate campaign while the SEC coaching carousel was still spinning.

“It has been difficult to concentrate on anything else lately but Lane Kiffin, so the answer is no,” he said during a segment on Alabama’s College Football Playoff chances. “But hopefully very, very soon.”

Finebaum’s decision means he will remain centered on SEC football during one of the busiest stretches of the season. With as many as five or six league teams still in the playoff hunt, he’ll have no shortage of drama to dissect on his daily show.

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