Welcome to another installment of Another Day On The QB Beat. We have some very special content exclusive to Auburn Sports Dot Com just for our subscribers. We love our subscribers. So many legends out there – So many more could be legends if they chose to send a super chat, leave a five-star review and smash that like button.
One shout down… Sanjay can kiss all of my white ass. He sucks. He sent me all that nonsense regarding the India vs Pakistan cricket rivalry promising me all of you would love it… it was a flop. EAD, Sanjay… a whole bag of them.
One more thing… Some of us on the board are not simpletons and enjoy long form journalism. TLDR tAUrds, this premium content is not for you.
Now for the content you pay for…
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to spend some time with TJ Finley on Friday evening. TJ was waiting on his wings after ordering at the counter at a local fast food eatery in Auburn. The full interview was off the record. None of the comments have been edited. I wore a recording device TJ was not aware of throughout the interview. I used the recordings to ensure the accuracy of the content being delivered to you. TJ nor his father were allowed to see the transcript before it was released to you. In fact, they don’t even know it exists. Here we go…
ADOQBB: TJ… Hey man… My name is Jason Wright. I work with Drew Rosenhaus’s Athlete’s Fist sports agency. We help college athletes with first round grades secure NIL deals in hopes of having the opportunity to represent them during their NFL careers. Can I buy you a few beers and tell you our story?
TJF: Uhhhhhhhh… sure. I like beer and I like making money. I already have my own clothing line, but I guess I will hear you out. You think you could help me with expanding TJ1?
ADOQBB: Oh yeah… for sure. We can get your brand to the level of TB12, no problem. First let me learn about you and your experience in the SEC. Tell me about it…
TJF: It’s been a wild ride, man. When I came out of high school, I figured I would have a Heisman and at least one national championship. Every high school kid does. I think we would have been close to both had I started all of last year. Personal goals are one thing, but team goals are another. I had some really memorable performances in my SEC career. I had that game against South Carolina when I was at LSU. I got to play on some big stages too. I was the first SEC quarterback to ever start a game in Protective Stadium. It’s been fun, man…
ADOQBB: You played for two unique personalities in Ed Orgeron and Bryan Harsin. How would you compare the two?
TJF: What does that have to do with making my brand TB12 and are you going to get me a beer?
ADOQBB: We need to understand the full depth of who TJ Finely is and what his experiences are to Make TJ1 the new TB12. The beer is on the way.
TJF: OoooK???... Well Ed O. was cool, man. He was a players coach. He let us do whatever we wanted. We didn’t really have a play book. We made stuff up in the huddle all the time. It was a lot of fun, man. Coach O. really cared about the players…He was more like a buddy than a coach. He is a great family man. Mrs O. was always there for us players. She was so awesome to the players - Knew our names, invited us over for home cooked meals, helped us with relationship advice. Truly like a mom and mentor to those of us players. I owe everything to that lady. … I would do anything for that lady.
ADDOQB: How about Harsin?
TJF: Harsin…man what a weird dude. I never saw him smile. He thought we cared he ran stadiums with us. We thought it was weird AF, to be honest. I don’t think I ever had a conversation with him. He spent a lot of time with the tightends and kickers. Read into that what you want… I ain’t going any farther than that.
Kes was the anti Mrs O. We saw all the social media about her family in knockoff Auburn gear, but it was never about promoting Auburn. That family was about them. We all knew it and Coach acted that way too. The women were always in the locker room. They didn’t respect us. We were their tools to promote their own brand.
If I had to sum up my two years with Harsin I would say… It was like a circus, but the clowns were thicc women.
ADDOQB: Talk about the highlights from your time at Auburn…
TJF: My time at Auburn…hmmm. Launching my clothing line was the biggest highlight for sure. Are we going to talk about TJ1 becoming as big as TB12?
ADDQB: Oh yeah… we just need to know the whole TJ Finely. You are going to be a megastar.
TJF: Ok… You better keep your word… There were so many highlights. My clothing line as I mentioned is the best one, but there were so many more. The women in the locker room was a good one. We had never seen that before. Firing Coach Corn after my big win over UGA was a good one. Recruiting and portal use was a great one. Remember, I came to Auburn out of the portal. Beating out that stiff Calzada for QB1 was great. My relationship with Coach Davis is way up there. We were going to be close. Being mentored by Coach Kiesau is something I will remember forever. I will always remember my boy Kobe telling Coach, “He from the North…” I learned a lot about speaking up from Kobe. My dad launching that guy’s podcast was pretty awesome too.
But those women man… Those women. They were always wild’en. I mentioned the locker room. We got to where we just let the BBCs hang. They were in our domain. But when we pulled the fire alarm, that was next level. Never laughed so hard in my life.
ADDOQB: I am confused… Someone pulled a fire alarm?
TJF: Laughing hysterically - Yeah man… yeah man… it was so lit. We had to get the thicc one out somehow.
ADDOQB: Wait… Did Coach know his daughters were in the facility?
TJF: Am I ever going to get that beer?
ADDOQBB: Yeah, yeah… The teenager behind the register is getting you a couple of Bud Lights after she works the drive thru. Did Coach know?
TJF: Bud Light!?!?!?!
ADDOQBB: Damn… yeah…. Uh… I forgot. Ma’am… Can we change that to a couple of PBR’s?
Sorry about that… Now did Coach know about the women being in the team facilities?
TJF: I need to get my buzz on, man. Yeah coach knew. Coach couldn’t do nothing though. Their mamma runs that household. Coach couldn’t do anything without her permission. And those women did whatever they wanted. Like I said, we were their props in their quest to be social media stars.
ADDOQBB: You didn’t mention the 2021 Iron bowl in hour highlights. You threw for almost 130 yards, had a TD pass and had the team on the verge of knocking off Alabama.
TJF: You are pushing it bro… TJ1 and my beer!!
ADDOQBB: We will get there. Knowing the complete TJ Finley will help build the brand that much deeper.
TJF: Fine... Man I don’t think about that Iron Bowl. We had that game won, but that p*ssy (ADDOQB edit for profanity) wouldn’t call the winning two point play in the first over time.
ADDOQBB: Can you speak to your relationship with Robby Ashford?
TJF: Man… Bo is a great QB. He’s a great dude too. He was so happy for me when he was hurt and I came in for him to beat UGA. He was so happy for me. He put a post on the gram congratulating me. I hated to see him go, but he wasn’t the first QB I have processed…Certainly the best, but not the first. I wish him all the best at Oregon. He had a great year at Oregon with Coach Dilly. I wish him all the best. We will be in the same draft class. I can’t wait to see who is drafted first. I saw a 2024 mock draft the other day with Bo projected in the first round. Auburn and Harsin deserve that to come true. It will be great to see us both have tremendous success in the NFL.
ADDOQBB: I think I asked about Robby???
TJF: I answered your question.
ADDOQBB: What can you tell us about your arrest?
TJF: MOTHER FVCKER, (ADDOQBB edit for profanity) TJ1 and my beers…NOW!!!!
ADDOQBB: Ooops, looks like your wings are here. Thanks for the time!!
One shout down… Sanjay can kiss all of my white ass. He sucks. He sent me all that nonsense regarding the India vs Pakistan cricket rivalry promising me all of you would love it… it was a flop. EAD, Sanjay… a whole bag of them.
One more thing… Some of us on the board are not simpletons and enjoy long form journalism. TLDR tAUrds, this premium content is not for you.
Now for the content you pay for…
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to spend some time with TJ Finley on Friday evening. TJ was waiting on his wings after ordering at the counter at a local fast food eatery in Auburn. The full interview was off the record. None of the comments have been edited. I wore a recording device TJ was not aware of throughout the interview. I used the recordings to ensure the accuracy of the content being delivered to you. TJ nor his father were allowed to see the transcript before it was released to you. In fact, they don’t even know it exists. Here we go…
ADOQBB: TJ… Hey man… My name is Jason Wright. I work with Drew Rosenhaus’s Athlete’s Fist sports agency. We help college athletes with first round grades secure NIL deals in hopes of having the opportunity to represent them during their NFL careers. Can I buy you a few beers and tell you our story?
TJF: Uhhhhhhhh… sure. I like beer and I like making money. I already have my own clothing line, but I guess I will hear you out. You think you could help me with expanding TJ1?
ADOQBB: Oh yeah… for sure. We can get your brand to the level of TB12, no problem. First let me learn about you and your experience in the SEC. Tell me about it…
TJF: It’s been a wild ride, man. When I came out of high school, I figured I would have a Heisman and at least one national championship. Every high school kid does. I think we would have been close to both had I started all of last year. Personal goals are one thing, but team goals are another. I had some really memorable performances in my SEC career. I had that game against South Carolina when I was at LSU. I got to play on some big stages too. I was the first SEC quarterback to ever start a game in Protective Stadium. It’s been fun, man…
ADOQBB: You played for two unique personalities in Ed Orgeron and Bryan Harsin. How would you compare the two?
TJF: What does that have to do with making my brand TB12 and are you going to get me a beer?
ADOQBB: We need to understand the full depth of who TJ Finely is and what his experiences are to Make TJ1 the new TB12. The beer is on the way.
TJF: OoooK???... Well Ed O. was cool, man. He was a players coach. He let us do whatever we wanted. We didn’t really have a play book. We made stuff up in the huddle all the time. It was a lot of fun, man. Coach O. really cared about the players…He was more like a buddy than a coach. He is a great family man. Mrs O. was always there for us players. She was so awesome to the players - Knew our names, invited us over for home cooked meals, helped us with relationship advice. Truly like a mom and mentor to those of us players. I owe everything to that lady. … I would do anything for that lady.
ADDOQB: How about Harsin?
TJF: Harsin…man what a weird dude. I never saw him smile. He thought we cared he ran stadiums with us. We thought it was weird AF, to be honest. I don’t think I ever had a conversation with him. He spent a lot of time with the tightends and kickers. Read into that what you want… I ain’t going any farther than that.
Kes was the anti Mrs O. We saw all the social media about her family in knockoff Auburn gear, but it was never about promoting Auburn. That family was about them. We all knew it and Coach acted that way too. The women were always in the locker room. They didn’t respect us. We were their tools to promote their own brand.
If I had to sum up my two years with Harsin I would say… It was like a circus, but the clowns were thicc women.
ADDOQB: Talk about the highlights from your time at Auburn…
TJF: My time at Auburn…hmmm. Launching my clothing line was the biggest highlight for sure. Are we going to talk about TJ1 becoming as big as TB12?
ADDQB: Oh yeah… we just need to know the whole TJ Finely. You are going to be a megastar.
TJF: Ok… You better keep your word… There were so many highlights. My clothing line as I mentioned is the best one, but there were so many more. The women in the locker room was a good one. We had never seen that before. Firing Coach Corn after my big win over UGA was a good one. Recruiting and portal use was a great one. Remember, I came to Auburn out of the portal. Beating out that stiff Calzada for QB1 was great. My relationship with Coach Davis is way up there. We were going to be close. Being mentored by Coach Kiesau is something I will remember forever. I will always remember my boy Kobe telling Coach, “He from the North…” I learned a lot about speaking up from Kobe. My dad launching that guy’s podcast was pretty awesome too.
But those women man… Those women. They were always wild’en. I mentioned the locker room. We got to where we just let the BBCs hang. They were in our domain. But when we pulled the fire alarm, that was next level. Never laughed so hard in my life.
ADDOQB: I am confused… Someone pulled a fire alarm?
TJF: Laughing hysterically - Yeah man… yeah man… it was so lit. We had to get the thicc one out somehow.
ADDOQB: Wait… Did Coach know his daughters were in the facility?
TJF: Am I ever going to get that beer?
ADDOQBB: Yeah, yeah… The teenager behind the register is getting you a couple of Bud Lights after she works the drive thru. Did Coach know?
TJF: Bud Light!?!?!?!
ADDOQBB: Damn… yeah…. Uh… I forgot. Ma’am… Can we change that to a couple of PBR’s?
Sorry about that… Now did Coach know about the women being in the team facilities?
TJF: I need to get my buzz on, man. Yeah coach knew. Coach couldn’t do nothing though. Their mamma runs that household. Coach couldn’t do anything without her permission. And those women did whatever they wanted. Like I said, we were their props in their quest to be social media stars.
ADDOQBB: You didn’t mention the 2021 Iron bowl in hour highlights. You threw for almost 130 yards, had a TD pass and had the team on the verge of knocking off Alabama.
TJF: You are pushing it bro… TJ1 and my beer!!
ADDOQBB: We will get there. Knowing the complete TJ Finley will help build the brand that much deeper.
TJF: Fine... Man I don’t think about that Iron Bowl. We had that game won, but that p*ssy (ADDOQB edit for profanity) wouldn’t call the winning two point play in the first over time.
ADDOQBB: Can you speak to your relationship with Robby Ashford?
TJF: Man… Bo is a great QB. He’s a great dude too. He was so happy for me when he was hurt and I came in for him to beat UGA. He was so happy for me. He put a post on the gram congratulating me. I hated to see him go, but he wasn’t the first QB I have processed…Certainly the best, but not the first. I wish him all the best at Oregon. He had a great year at Oregon with Coach Dilly. I wish him all the best. We will be in the same draft class. I can’t wait to see who is drafted first. I saw a 2024 mock draft the other day with Bo projected in the first round. Auburn and Harsin deserve that to come true. It will be great to see us both have tremendous success in the NFL.
ADDOQBB: I think I asked about Robby???
TJF: I answered your question.
ADDOQBB: What can you tell us about your arrest?
TJF: MOTHER FVCKER, (ADDOQBB edit for profanity) TJ1 and my beers…NOW!!!!
ADDOQBB: Ooops, looks like your wings are here. Thanks for the time!!
