Shortly after releasing clips from his forthcoming interview with SEC Network host and analyst Paul Finebaum, which revealed Finebaum's potential political ambitions, nationally syndicated host and OutKick founder Clay Travis appeared on Fox News Channel's "The Will Cain Show" to offer his reaction to his interview.
Travis told host Will Cain that he believed Finebaum would seek a U.S. Senate seat.
"Clay, why is Paul sharing all of this with you at OutKick?" Cain asked. "I know Paul decently, not really well. He was never that interested in speaking openly about politics, and not afraid of controversy, mainly about college football. But why is he interested in talking to you about all of this at OutKick?"
Travis replied, "I think — honestly, I have known him for 20 years, so we have had a good relationship. I consider him to be a friend. I have gone on a show a lot over the years, back when we were local sports talk radio guys. I think he trusts me to be fair with this story and to get it out there. I think he's going to run, Will. I think he's going to run in Alabama. And part of that interview, he mentioned Charlie there. He's talking about Charlie Kirk. I think the assassination of Charlie Kirk deeply moved him. And he -- like many people out there watching us right now, he says, along with tens of millions of other people, he watched the Turning Point USA event. He's watched all of the coverage of Charlie Kirk. He's on college campuses with young people all the time, much like Charlie was, as a part of his job with the "SEC Network." And I think he wants to be a constructive voice going forward when he sees a lot of things that are broken."
"Will, you know this. It's a big deal that he came out and said, hey, I'm a Trump voter inside of ESPN," he continued, "There aren't very many of those people that have done so publicly. I think it's a sign of the profound cultural shift we're seeing across the country."
Finebaum, a long-time Birmingham newspaper columnist, initially launched his radio show in the late 1980s. In the early 2000s, he syndicated his show throughout the southeastern United States. He left Alabama for Charlotte, N.C. in 2014 after taking a position with the then-newly formed SEC Network. Earlier this year, Finebaum returned to Alabama, capturing headlines with his purchase of a $5.2 million home in Mountain Brook.
Jeff Poor is the editor-in-chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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