“Go back to stroking the SEC”: Green Bay HC Doug Gottlieb clowns Paul Finebaum over bold Lincoln Riley comments

Green Bay Phoenix basketball coach Doug Gottlieb didn't hold back in his criticism of Southeastern Conference analyst Paul Finebaum. On Monday, Gottlieb tweeted a video from ESPN's First Take where Finebaum discusses a college football matter with Stephen A. Smith.

Gottlieb said Finebaum is a "clown" when the latter suggested that Colorado coach Deion Sanders would be an ideal replacement for Lincoln Riley if USC parted ways with the coach.

"Finebaum is a clown. USC was an unmitigated disaster when he took over, they portal’d to a good first year, tough second year in the best Pac12 in decades. Lincoln isn’t going anywhere and they will win. Go back to stroking the SEC," Gottlieb tweeted.

It appears Gottlieb was irked by the fact that Finebaum was slamming USC coach Lincoln Riley during his conversation with Smith on First Take.

“I thought last year was one of the worst coaching jobs I’ve ever seen. I would’ve fired Lincoln Riley,” Finebaum said.

“And instead of harping on Lincoln Riley, I’ve decided to come up with a solution. I thought about this the other day. Okay, maybe he does well, maybe he doesn’t, but the answer is moving forward. And I believe the answer after this season is Deion Sanders."

USC finished with an 8-5 season in 2023 under Riley and will head into the Big Ten this year. Meanwhile, Sanders led Colorado to a 4-8 season in his first year with the Buffaloes.

Doug Gottlieb's contract with Green Bay

Green Bay Phoenix basketball coach Doug Gottlieb (Image Credits: IMAGN)

Doug Gottlieb was appointed as the coach of the Green Bay Phoenix on May 14. He signed a five-year contract with the team and will make a base salary of $215,000 in his first season. Here's a breakdown of Gottlieb's base salary for the next five seasons:

• 2024-25: $215,000
• 2025-26: $250,000
• 2026-27: $270,000
• 2027-28: $290,000
• 2028-29: $305,000

While Gottlieb will head into the first coaching season of his career with Green Bay later this year, he also plans to continue hosting his daily radio show with Fox Sports.