Michigan football won its third consecutive Big Ten championship on Saturday and is now rated first in the country. This season, the Wolverines will compete in their third consecutive College Football Playoff, taking on Alabama football in the Rose Bowl. This team is excellent, but not everyone likes them. Outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan, most people appear to despise the Wolverines. Paul Finebaum of ESPN is one of them.
Paul Finebaum covers college football for ESPN, specializing in SEC games, and he has always been complimentary of Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan football team. The NCAA is now investigating the Wolverines for alleged unlawful sign-stealing, and Finebaum’s criticism of Michigan has been louder than ever since. Many of his ESPN colleagues have taken similar positions, but former Michigan standout and Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard does not.
“Paul Finebaum is a caricature of a caricature of Paul Finebaum,” Desmond Howard recently observed on The Rich Eisen Show. “That’s exactly what he is right now. Nothing he says can be taken seriously. You simply cannot. It’s as if they march him out there, pull the thread in his back, and he simply starts ranting about Michigan. You can’t take someone seriously if he does that repeatedly and you know his schtick. You accept him for who he is. And that is how I see Paul Finebaum.”
When it came to Finebaum, Howard didn’t hold back. This is quite intriguing to see because Howard and Finebaum both work together and frequently appear on the same shows. Given Howard’s links to Michigan, this should come as no surprise. They also recently discussed the Michigan inquiry on ESPN, and they clearly disagreed on the subject.
It will be fascinating to watch if Finebaum responds to Howard with his own views in the future. It wouldn’t be shocking based on what we’ve seen from Finebaum in the past. It will also be fascinating to see if ESPN takes any action.
Finebaum hasn’t said much about Michigan since the Wolverines defeated Ohio State a few weeks ago. He will undoubtedly root for Alabama to defeat them in the Rose Bowl, but if Michigan defeats the Crimson Tide, all Wolverines will want to tune in the next time Finebaum appears on ESPN.
