Former Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl Responds To ESPN's Mike Wilbon Calling Him 'Divisive'

Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl suddenly retired last month and handed the reins over to his son, Steve. For many, it was a sad moment that a great coach was leaving the game, especially coming off a Final Four appearance. 

ESPN's Mike Wilbon was not one of those people. During the final moments of Pardon the Interruption on Sept. 22, Wilbon said he was glad Pearl was gone because he had become "divisive" and even hoped that Pearl had been forced out of his job. 

PTI co-host Tony Kornheiser balked at Wilbon's comments, saying that he liked Pearl and that he and Wilbon were "on the other side" regarding their opinions on Pearl. 

Pearl joined Will Cain on Fox News on Monday and responded to Wilbon's comments. 

"A dear friend of Mike's reached out to me and said, 'Look, this is not antisemitic. It's probably political,'" Pearl said. 

Pearl has been outspoken in his defense of Israel during the ongoing conflict between the nation and the terrorist group Hamas. However, Pearl has also vocally supported President Donald Trump, not just on Israel, but on other political platforms. He has also criticized Barack Obama for increasing racial tensions in the United States. 

In Wilbon's world – not just Wilbon, but all the left-wingers in the media – supporting Donald Trump makes someone divisive. And criticizing Obama? Forget it. In their world, Obama is completely above reproach. 

Of course, endorsing Kamala Harris or another Democrat politician is not divisive, at least to them. That's the double-standard that exists, sadly. 

"If there's anything I'm not, that is divisive. I've tried to bring people together my entire life," Pearl continued. "Maybe it's an example of why we can't agree to disagree about things politically." 

Bruce Pearl responds to ESPN’s Mike Wilbon calling him "divisive" after his sudden retirement from Auburn, defending his political beliefs and stance on Israel.

(Getty Images)

Pearl is spot-on, unfortunately. Instead of Wilbon simply saying he disagreed with some of Pearl's political opinions, he chose to celebrate his leaving college basketball and even hoped that he was forced to do it. Pearl rejected that notion, though. 

"I was not forced out; I love Auburn and I love the opportunity now to be able to do some things for faith and family in our country, to be an advocate for Israel, to be an advocate for education, and [I'm] looking forward to [doing] those things while my son is winning basketball games," Pearl said. 

Good for Pearl for taking the high road, as Will Cain correctly pointed out Wilbon's hypocrisy. 

"I would love to ask Mike, ‘Did you ever call Steve Kerr or Gregg Popovich divisive?’" Cain asked, rhetorically. 

Fortunately, I can answer that question for Cain, at least on Popovich. The answer is no. In fact, when Popovich became the NBA all-time wins leader among coaches, Wilbon starred in a glowing tribute praising the former Spurs coach's career. 

Remember, this is a guy who has openly criticized President Donald Trump on numerous occasions. He once called the president a "pathetic individual." 

Sure seems divisive, doesn't it?