2 months ago
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Auburn alum and former Republican Charles Barkley would support Tigers basketball coach Bruce Pearl's U.S. Senatorial campaign if the outspoken supporter of Donald Trump and Israel ever ran for the office in Alabama.
'I respect and trust him,' the basketball legend and Inside the NBA co-host told AL.com. 'I just told him to do what he wants to do.'
Pearl and the Tigers are coming off a Final Fourth berth and he recently made waves by publicly supporting Trump's decision to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities amid ongoing tensions between that country and Israel.
'Obviously, he's made Auburn basketball relevant, which makes me happy,' Barkley said. 'I said, 'Hey, man, as much as I love you being the head basketball coach at Auburn, you taking Auburn to two Final Fours, something I never thought would happen, but I do understand.
'If he wants to run, I'm gonna support him 100 percent.'
Barkley also voiced his support for Pearl as a coach by mentioning Auburn's graduation rate.
Bruce Pearl has had success at Auburn, where he's reached the Final Four twice
Charles Barkley would support Tigers basketball coach Bruce Pearl's senate campaign
'One thing I know about Bruce, he cares about his players,' Barkley said. 'He's graduated 100 percent of the players who stayed in school for four years, and he's proud of that.
'That was the first conversation we had when he first got the job. I said, "Hey, man, I want Auburn to be great in basketball. I really do. But my number one priority is these young black kids getting their education. You're gonna have a couple guys who go pro, but most of these guys are gonna have to go out and be grown men. So, I know he cares about people and players."'
Pearl has not indicated any specific plans to run for Senate, but did establish himself as a staunch conservative for praising Trump's decision to bomb Iran. The 65-year-old Massachusetts native even went so far as to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize because of that military action in Iran.
Although he is a former Republican, himself, Barkley does not support Trump. However, as he told AL.com, that doesn't disqualify Pearl from receiving his support.
A staunch Trump supporter who quit coaching after a 4-8 season with Cincinnati in 2016, Tommy Tuberville announced his intention in May to run for Governor of Alabama
'I'm not a Trump guy, but it's not up to me to tell people they can't vote for Trump,' Barkley said. 'I don't know who voted for Trump in my circle, but I'm pretty sure some of them did. I publicly supported Kamala [Harris] and had her husband on my podcast, and so I'm a Kamala guy, but I'm not stupid enough to think some of my rich friends didn't vote for Trump. I'm not that stupid.'
The US Senate seat in question is currently occupied by another former Auburn coach, Tommy Tuberville, who led the Tigers' football team to an 85-40 record in his decade at the school.
A staunch Trump supporter who quit coaching after a 4-8 season with Cincinnati in 2016, Tuberville announced his intention in May to run for Governor of Alabama.
He does face a number of obstacles, including claims he actually lives in Florida as opposed to Alabama as well as questions about the Tommy Tuberville Foundation, which shuttered in 2021. A Tuberville spokesman told the Washington Post in 2023 that the foundation paused activities during a government audit, but that the former Tigers coach planned on reforming the organization.
For his part, Tuberville claims he splits his time between Alabama and Washington.
