Even though July is one of the slowest months in college basketball, speaking and media duties are still important for programs like Auburn.
Associate head coach Steven Pearl has been handling more of those duties this summer. He was cited in Auburn’s press release following the formal announcement of the school’s transition to Nike on July 1 and spoke at the “Ballin in Boutwell” reveal news conference on July 8 at Auburn’s AMBUSH event on July 2.
When asked why he recently assumed the position of public spokesperson for the team, Pearl explained that it was because head coach Bruce Pearl was “taking his first vacation in 11 years.” When asked where Bruce Pearl is on vacation, Steven Pearl stated that the head coach is traveling abroad with pals.
Steven Pearl remarked, “He’s just having fun and trying to get some rest so he can prepare for this coming season.”
Although Steven Pearl’s remarks imply that his current media duties are just transitory, he feels at ease accepting them. One of the numerous roles that head coaches will have in 2025 is representing the program at these occasions.
It’s excellent practice. Pearl stated, “This is excellent practice and reps for me to be able to run my own program if I ever get the chance to do so, whether it’s at Auburn or somewhere else.”
All of this occurs little over a month after the news website Semafor revealed that Bruce Pearl was considering a bid for the U.S. Senate. One of Alabama’s Senate seats was up for grabs when Tommy Tuberville formally entered the state’s governor election, according to the report.
Bruce Pearl declined to comment when asked if he would be interested in running at the SEC spring meetings shortly after that story.
Pearl didn’t publicly respond to the allegations until June 29, when he was asked explicitly if he was thinking about running during an interview on Fox News’ One Nation with Brian Kilmeade.
Pearl remarked, “I love my country, but I love being the basketball coach at Auburn.” I’m in Atlanta right now, recruiting athletes, as we speak. Look, I care about these issues, and they have nothing to do with politics.
Bruce Pearl was questioned about his interest in running for the senate again when he made an appearance on the One Jewish State YouTube channel on Tuesday, the same day that Steven Pearl addressed reporters at the “Ballin at Boutwell” news conference.
After saying, “There is no news to be made,” Pearl went on to discuss his support for Israel, his reservations about certain laws, and “things going on on these college campuses and regarding education and what we’re willing educate” for more than a minute.
“We’re having problems. Given the volume of immigration that has occurred, as well as the leadership and curriculum of these colleges,” Pearl added. “This is a direct result of our failure to instill a sense of patriotism in our children.”
Although Pearl frequently posts on political issues including support for Israel and criticism of some democratic practices, he hasn’t shown any interest in the available senate seat on his X (previously Twitter) page.
Pearl has lately contributed op-eds to AL.com and the New York Post in addition to the tweets.
AL.com recently asked Pearl and Auburn for comment on the coach’s alleged interest in running for the vacant senate position, but neither school quickly answered.
