Auburn men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl has never shied away from sharing his political views, particularly when it comes to Israel.
During a recent appearance on Outkick with Dan Dakich, Pearl was speaking about Obama’s role in talks between Israel and Palestine, and spoke about his belief that Obama caused not only the conflict to be worse, but race relations in the United States:
Auburn Men’s Basketball Coach Bruce Pearl on Barack Obama:
“Rather than uniting us as a country… he divided us! Everything was black and white… everything was [about] the obstacles that were against my players from being successful!”@dandakich @coachbrucepearl pic.twitter.com/webgc2yPud
— OutKick (@Outkick) August 1, 2025
“I get so frustrated when I hear what a terrible country we are, how racist we are, how this is not the land of opportunity for everybody,” Pearl said.
“Look, we’ve got a lot to work on and there’s racism that absolutely exists and it’s wrong. But it’s a lot better for my players than it was for their fathers….so I want my guys to recognize there are gonna be obstacles but not roadblocks.”
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Pearl would go on to bring up former President Obama and his belief that much of the division in the nation today came from his policies.
“I disagree with so many of his policies,” Pearl said, admitting he was a great public speaker. “I thought in so many ways that rather than uniting us as a country even by race, he divided us! Everything was black and white…everything was [about] the obstacles that were against my players from being successful.”
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
