Paul Finebaum is no stranger to making headlines, and in his business, most of that comes via the things that are said on his show airing on ESPN.
The Paul Finebaum Show, which is focused almost squarely around the Southeastern Conference, has produced countless one-liners and jabs at teams, coaches, and fan bases from other conferences, but it has been especially fruitful when Finebaum talks Big 12 football.
On Tuesday, Finebaum discussed with a caller — who went by “Sooner for what its worth — about Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy and his comments on NIL. Of course, they were referring to Gundy saying that he’s essentially told recruits and players to quit asking for money.
“Tell your agent to quit calling us and asking for more money,” Gundy told media last week. “It’s nonnegotiable now. It’ll start again in December… Now, we’re able to direct ourselves just to Football, and that part has been fun.”
Finebaum can’t fathom why Gundy would even come out and say something like that in this day and age.
“Tell your agent to quit calling us and asking for more money. It’s nonnegotiable now. It’ll start again in December… Now, we’re able to direct ourselves just to Football, and that part has been fun.”
While what Gundy is saying makes a ton of sense, there’s a reason coaches around the country arent spouting off the same sentiment — there’s nothing to gain from it.
“The real problem, Sooner — and even if you’re saying, ‘Man, he makes a lot of sense. I wish my son could play for him’ — that’s not where the action is right now,” Finebaum said. “And what happens is, we’re in a headline-dominated world where everybody in high school now or anywhere else is gonna look at Mike Gundy as a grump. ‘He’s not the guy you want to play for.’ So you just check him off your list.
“And that program’s already in enough trouble because losing Oklahoma from the Big 12 is a big blow to Oklahoma State’s self-worth. … I’ve been to Stillwater. It’s an interesting place to go to a game. But why in the world would you go play for Mike Gundy when you can play in Norman for a coach who understands where college football is today?”
Mike Gundy, who’s heading into his 20th season as the head coach in Stillwater, has never been one to mince words, something he shares in common with Finebaum. However, it appears something the two don’t share in common is their opinion on a head coach speaking the honest truth in front of a microphone.
“I mean, I’m conflicted,” Finebaum said. “Yeah, sure, it’s great to hear a coach speak the truth. But you can’t speak the truth anymore because that’s not where college football is, so why would you do that?”
