Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl secured a comeback win against the Creighton Bluejays on Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16 of this year’s NCAA Tournament, but the four-time SEC Coach of the Year had something else on his mind after his Tigers emerged victorious.
“Bring the hostages home.”
That was the plea Pearl made in reference to the hostages still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the October 7 terrorist attack.
“But for me, I believe it was God’s plan to give us this success, success beyond what we deserve. To give us this platform. To give me an opportunity to start this press conference, really briefly, and remind the world that Edan Alexander is still held hostage in Gaza right now. An American held hostage. And there aren’t enough people in this country that know his name. So I asked the players if it was okay if I started off this press conference and just called out the name of an American. Bring the hostages home,” Pearl said.
Since the terrorist attack in 2023, Pearl has been outspoken about releasing the hostages held in Gaza. Earlier this year, the Auburn coach used his social media platform to share a chaotic video of hostages being released by Hamas to the Red Cross.
“This is what giving Palestinians Autonomy looks like,” Pearl wrote. “Does it look like they want peace? They made war, murdered and raped, built tunnels and hid under their people, launched rockets from living rooms, then screamed genocide. RELEASE HOSTAGES NOW, then live in peace or leave town.”
It is certainly rare for a coach of Pearl’s stature to wade into geopolitics at this level, but the Auburn head coach has long been public in his support of Israel, even prior to the October 7 attack.
One year before the attack, Pearl took his Auburn squad on a summer exhibition trip to Israel, where they played against the national teams and visited historic sites.
Pearl’s use of a March Madness press conference to amplify his beliefs will certainly invite criticism from the “stick to sports” crowd, but most can agree that the days of sports and politics behaving like church and state are long gone. Athletes and coaches have long used their platforms to further their political beliefs, and Pearl’s press conference on Saturday is no different.
However, given the contentiousness of the conflict in Gaza, Pearl’s remarks will surely be met with detractors.
This is not a conflict that many in the sports world have been very vocal about. But when looking at Pearl’s history of commentary about Israel — and since the terrorist attack in 2023, releasing the hostages — it makes sense that he’d want to use March Madness, the biggest platform for his sport, to deliver his message to a wider audience.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.