Michael Wilbon said Bruce Pearl had become a “divisive person” and was glad to see the Auburn basketball coach retire.
The ESPN personality made the comment during “Pardon the Interruption.”
“He had become a divisive person, it seems to me intentionally,” Wilbon told Tony Kornheiser. “And I hope there was pressure to just get him out.”
He is a conservative Republican with outspoken political stances, particularly a staunch pro-Israel position and support for President Donald Trump.
Pearl announced his retirement Monday less than six months after finishing the Tigers’ best season in program history with another trip to the Final Four.
Pearl’s 38-year-old son Steven Pearl, who has been on his father’s coaching staff for all 11 seasons at Auburn, will take over as coach.
Pearl, 65, is the school’s winningest men’s coach and took the Tigers to their only two Final Four appearances. He will move into an ambassador role as an assistant to Auburn’s athletic director, and isn’t going into politics after rumors had circulated about a potential senate run.
Pearl advanced the Tigers to their first Final Four in 2019, defeating Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky in successive games. They lost to eventual-champion Virginia by one point. Last season, led by All-American Johni Broome, the Tigers earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and had a school-record 32 wins before losing to SEC rival Florida in the national semifinal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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