Former ESPN college football insider Todd McShay has finally publicly detailed his long-simmering frustration with former ESPN teammate Paul Finebaum, centering on the handling of the Jalen Carter situation during the 2023 NFL draft buildup.
Speaking candidly on his The McShay Show podcast, McShay described the incident as the “final straw” in a professional relationship he had long respected.
“The final straw was the Jaylen Carter situation,” McShay said. “I’ll never forget. I don’t even know why, but it was on in the background, and someone called in [on the Paul Finebaum Show] about Jalen. I watched him sit there and talk about me like he didn’t even know me.”
McShay’s discontent stemmed not only from Finebaum’s commentary but from the lack of direct communication. He described a missed opportunity to clear the air, which he felt could have mitigated the public backlash.
“Paul could have texted me. Paul’s producer could have texted me. In fact, I was waiting for someone from that show to call me and say, ‘Hey, the show just ended. We realize this is a bigger thing. Can you come on the show tomorrow?’ And I probably would have gone on and blasted him,” McShay explained.
He added that Finebaum’s approach left him exposed to criticism across Athens, media outlets, social platforms, and message boards.
“It didn’t feel good knowing that all of Athens was after me, and that people around the media landscape were blasting me,” McShay said. “I was all over message boards and social media. Some of it unfairly disparaging Jalen Carter and the proof situation.”
Highlighting a perceived lack of loyalty, McShay criticized Finebaum’s handling of the situation and questioned his integrity.
“Paul knew nothing about this situation. He made a call maybe to two people who were going to help protect their guy, and he stirs more s**t up,” he said. “When I say he’s an all-time coward, that’s why I say it. When I say he has no loyalty, that’s why I say it. To be honest with you, I think the guy’s a rat. And so he’s perfect to be a politician.”
Despite his frustration, McShay noted that he had previously tried to maintain professionalism, even involving ESPN executives to express his concerns.
“It was bad enough the first time around, and I texted and called executives. I was pissed. They talked me off the ledge like, ‘That’s just Paul. He shouldn’t have done it, but next play.’ And so I did. I moved on,” McShay said.
He also acknowledged that disagreements and personality conflicts are common in large organizations. “There were some things I didn’t like at ESPN, and it wasn’t a corporate thing, and it wasn’t the top executive. But there were some people there that I didn’t like, and I think that’s common for anyone with experience in a corporation,” he explained.
With McShay’s contract officially over as of October 1, McShay’s comments provide a rare inside look at the dynamics behind ESPN’s on-air interactions and the challenges faced by analysts navigating high-profile controversies. For McShay, the Jalen Carter situation crystallized longstanding issues, culminating in a blunt assessment of one of college football’s most influential media voices.
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I’m still not sure I completely understand what McShay‘s issue is with finebaum. What exactly did he do or say that put McShay in a bad position in Georgia? did he talk trash about Jalen Carter and finebaum just said he knew nothing about it?