ESPN’s Paul Finebaum admits ‘epic failure’ in public apology after hot take backfires originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
ESPN commentator Paul Finebaum is owning up to one of the most infamous misfires of the 2025 college football season.
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With the national championship game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes now decided, Finebaum publicly walked back his October criticism of Indiana’s decision to extend coach Curt Cignetti.
At the time, Indiana awarded Cignetti an eight-year, $93 million contract amid speculation he could become the top target in Penn State’s coaching search. There was a ton of speculation at the time, but Indiana’s objective was to play the hand they were dealt.
Finebaum argued the move was premature, suggesting the Hoosiers should “let it play out” before backing up the Brinks truck. He questioned whether Cignetti was truly among the nation’s elite coaches, noting Indiana had only “one big win, maybe one and a half” at that stage of the season.
Well, needless to say, Cignetti got the last laugh on Monday night. Two months later, those comments aged poorly and Finebaum was feeling the heat.
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Cignetti led Indiana to a perfect 16-0 campaign and a national championship, completing one of the most outstanding title runs in modern college football. The Hoosiers were the first team in 132 years to notch a 16th victory.
Finebaum addressed the take Wednesday on The Paul Finebaum Show, calling his assessment an “epic failure.”
“There can be debate on whether Indiana had the best season in college football history, but there can be no debate — it is the greatest story in the history of the game,” Finebaum said. “Nobody was more incorrect in understanding that process than me.”
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He went a step further, acknowledging Indiana’s dominance on the sport’s biggest stage.“There was no question Indiana was the best team, and yes, the Big Ten is the best conference in the country,” Finebaum said.
This one might’ve been a tough one to swallow, especially since the SEC was shutout for a third straight year. But Finebaum didn’t dodge the criticism and gained credibility in the situation.
