College Basketball Coach Directly Calls Out Former U.S. President Barack Obama originally appeared on The Spun.
Former President Barack Obama was publicly called out this week by one of the top coaches in college basketball.
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Two days ago, Obama posted a New York Times article about the children in Gaza being impacted by this war along with this message: “While a lasting resolution to the crisis in Gaza must involve a return of all hostages and a cessation of Israel’s military operations, these articles underscore the immediate need for action to be taken to prevent the travesty of innocent people dying of preventable starvation.”
Clearly, that message didn’t sit well with Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. He responded to Obama’s social media post, accusing the 44th U.S. president of setting this chaos into motion.
“You gave billions to Iran and Hamas creating this mess and not one word from you calling for THEM to release the hostages, surrender and end the War,” Pearl wrote on X. “Tell Hamas to 1) Quit stealing and reselling aid 2) Stop attacking GHF workers who are feeding Gazans. 3) Leave and end suffering.”
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Pearl has been very vocal about the conflict in the Gaza Strip and Israel over the past few months.
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 20: Former President of the United States, Barack Obama, watches on during the game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 20, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
During the NCAA men’s tournament, Pearl called for the release of Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier who was held hostage by Hamas.
“I get asked a lot how this basketball program has become so competitive over the last eight years,” Pearl said. “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 us an opportunity to start this conference briefly and remind the world that Edan Alexander is still held hostage in Gaza right now. An American held hostage and not enough people in this country know his name.”
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Alexander reunited with his loved ones in New Jersey in June. He grew up in Tenafly before moving to Israel.
As you can tell from Pearl’s recent social media post, Alexander’s release hasn’t stopped him from talking about the conflict in Gaza.
College Basketball Coach Directly Calls Out Former U.S. President Barack Obama first appeared on The Spun on Jul 29, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
