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Legendary basketball coach Bruce Pearl slams anti-Israel college protesters going silent on Iran
By Joseph Wulfsohn
Published January 16, 2026
Legendary college basketball coach Bruce Pearl blasted far-left college protesters who've gone silent on the unrest in Iran after their outcry against Israel on Friday's episode of the "Ruthless" podcast.
"Right now, you've got thousands of Iranians — women, men, they're out there in the streets just asking for freedom and not have to live under this Islamic extremism insanity right now," Pearl said on Friday's installment of the "Ruthless" podcast.
"Where are the college protesters? Where are they?" Pearl asked. "On every Ivy League campus they ought to be ashamed of themselves for not being out there in the thousands."
Legendary college baskeball coach Bruce Pearl said Ivy League universities "ought to be ashamed of themselves" for not rallying in support of the Iranian protesters. (Bob Donnan/Imagn Images)
The former Auburn Tigers head coach spoke about attending a rally this week in Washington, D.C., in support of female athletes as the Supreme Court heard arguments in a landmark case challenging trans athletes competing in women's sports, telling the "Ruthless" hosts he was hoping there'd also be rallies in support of the Iranian protesters, which never materialized at the nation's capital.
"We're afraid to teach. We're afraid to have hard conversations," Pearl said. "Because, at a university, we've got to teach both sides to this. Wait a second — you know what — sometimes there are both sides. Good versus evil. Right versus wrong. 'But we want to be institutionally neutral.' Really? It doesn't work!"
As many as thousands of Iranian protesters were reportedly murdered by the regime in recent weeks. (Anonymous/Getty Images)
He praised President Donald Trump, saying, "There's never been a better president in my mind in the history of our country, especially with what he had inherited."
"This world was a dangerous place. He's just trying to make it safer," Pearl said. "The Middle East is safer right now. Iran's got a chance to be free. Assad is no longer in Syria. Hamas and those Gazans are no longer in prison. We've got a fighting chance here."
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Anti-Israel encampments emerged on college campuses across the country in spring 2024 during Israel's war against Hamas. (Getty Images)
Pearl, who is Jewish and an outspoken supporter of Israel, said he gets "a lot of flak" for becoming more vocal with his beliefs, hearing from online trolls who tell him, "Go back to Israel."
"I love this country. I'd give my life for this country," Pearl said. "But at the same time, I can still love my Jewish ancestral homeland. I can still love my faith. It doesn't make me less American. But it's the argument you get."
Catch the latest from "Ruthless" on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on YouTube and all podcast platforms.
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