Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl is making it clear that his recent call for the release of an American hostage in Gaza is not about politics, but about human life. "It’s not political. It’s survival," Pearl told The Associated Press on Thursday, speaking ahead of No. 1 seed Auburn's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 matchup against No. 6 Michigan. Following Auburn's 82-70 victory over Creighton in the second round of the tournament in Lexington, Kentucky, Pearl used the postgame press conference to demand the release of Edan Alexander, the last known living American hostage held by Hamas. Pearl, who is Jewish, said he sought his players' approval before making his statement. "First of all, number one, I don’t want to take away from Auburn," Pearl told AP on Thursday. "I don’t take away from the student-athletes, and so I asked their permission if I could start that press conference and mention the name Edan Alexander. And they understood. And it didn’t." He noted that such statements from him are rare. "I really hadn’t done that on the podium since maybe two or three years ago when Israel and Iran were in an entanglement," he said. Meanwhile on Thursday, Pearl spoke via video call with President Isaac Herzog, who thanked him for his pro-Israel stance. “You have raised the plight of our hostages in the most important arena of the United States public. This is the most important issue for humanity to my mind, because it shows how we are dealing with cruelty and the urgent need to bring innocent people home,” the President told Pearl. Coach Pearl reaffirmed his strong support for Israel, emphasizing that “the vast majority of Americans support Israel” and now have a deeper understanding of the challenges the country has faced since its founding. He also shared that Adi Alexander, Edan’s father, was due to attend Auburn’s upcoming game as a guest of Athletes for Israel, helping to further spotlight the hostage crisis. Related articles: President Herzog speaks with pro-Israel college basketball coach Auburn coach calls for release of American hostage held in Gaza Two top American basketball teams head to Israel and the UAE Jewish high school students to attend weekend with Bruce Pearl President Herzog underscored the moral imperative of securing the release of all hostages, saying, ”There are 59 hostages still in the dungeons of Gaza, held brutally. We want to see all of them—both the living and those who are not—returned home.” Coach Pearl expressed his continued commitment to standing with Israel and ensuring that the world does not forget the hostages. President Herzog thanked him for his support, calling it an example of “moral clarity” and a testament to shared values.
