Bruce Pearl said President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have his full unconditional support in their war against Iran. 

“They do have my support and my prayers, and I’m grateful for their courage,” the legendary former Auburn men’s basketball coach and Chair of the U.S. Israel Education Association told Fox News Digital. 

As the U.S. and Israeli continue to carry out a joint military operation against Iran after eliminating the ayatollah, Pearl admits he does have anxiety about what comes next, especially as it relates to potential American and Israeli causalities. 

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Former Auburn Tigers men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl walks on the field before a game Between Auburn and the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)

Pearl has multiple friends and family members in Israel as Iran carries out its counter-attack, and six American service members have already been confirmed killed since the violence started. 

Pearl placed blame on former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for agreeing to deals that resulted in finances going to Iran over the last decade plus.

“I think President Obama was well-intentioned, but his decision was costly and wrong,” Pearl said. “He funded the terrorists who rebuilt Hezbollah, who rebuilt Hamas, who rebuilt the Houthis. The United States government is responsible in part for funding Iran’s war and terror.

“President Trump doesn’t want war, but he’s also not going to look the other way and let Iran terrorize the Middle East, which they did. And, so, then what does President Biden do? He comes in and he reverses all the policies that President Trump enacted, and he goes back to refunding Iran and treating them like a normal country. And all they did was refund the terrorist, rebuild their weapons.” 

The Obama administration transferred $1.7 billion in cash to Iran in 2016 to settle a 1979 arms dispute, while the Biden administration released $10 billion to $16 billion in frozen Iranian oil funds as part of a 2023 prisoner swap and humanitarian trade. The funds were Iranian assets frozen abroad but not known to be U.S. taxpayer funds.

Pearl told Fox News Digital he is angered by the Iranian aggression against America in recent decades. 

“Iran is the greatest enemy to the world since Adolf Hitler. They have been this country’s No. 1 enemy since 1979. They have killed more Americans than any other country in the world. So, what I would say to America, we didn’t start this war. Iran has declared war on us for a long, long time, and they’ve been killing our citizens,” Pearl said.  

“They sponsored, funded and gave the green light to Hamas to commit the atrocities of Oct. 7. And 46 Americans died. Innocent Americans died that way at the hands of Hamas, who was part of Iran’s proxies. That angers me. That angers me as an American. And I’m glad that this president is doing something about it.”

Pearl, the chairman of the U.S. Israel Education Association, recalled having to witness the deaths of people he was close to due to violence in the Middle East. 

“I know hostage families who have lost their lives. I know Israeli friends who have lost sons and daughters. I’ve known Americans who’ve lost family members in Lebanon in 1982, in the barracks, and also in fighting the wars in Iraq,” he said. 

Since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, Pearl said, he has encountered anti-Israel protesters in America.

The pro-Palestine movement in the United States has evolved into one of the country’s largest and most sustained protest waves sparked by a foreign event in modern history. 

Within just two weeks of the initial Oct. 7 attack, the movement rapidly expanded from early vigils to 420 rallies across 46 states, according to the Harvard University Ash Center. By November of that year, the burst of activity had solidified into a sustained national wave broader than any previous pro-Palestine movement in U.S. history, particularly on college campuses. 

Now, as America and Israel wage war on Iran, which could potentially fan the flames of the pro-Palestinian movement in the U.S., Pearl has a message for those protesters.

“If you want to protest, have an understanding what you’re protesting for. I ask you the question. Are women free in Israel or are they free inside of Gaza? Do they in Israel, do they get to go to education, college, school, live a normal, incredible life like any other human being, or are they subject to Sharia law? How can you protest for that? You want to protest? Protest for the Iranian people who are fighting for their freedom,” Pearl said. 

“How is it possible that on Oct. 8, 9 or 10, just days after 46 Americans were murdered and 1,200 people were killed and 250 were held hostage, how is it possible that college students were protesting to free Palestine from the river to the sea and supporting Hamas? The free Palestine from the river to the sea is to free Palestine of the Jews from the river to the sea. That means either kill us or remove us.”

Many Americans have been trapped in Israel since the counterstrikes began. This includes at least three American women’s basketball players.

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South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley has led a public effort to bring them home. 

Pearl, who admitted he hasn’t heard about those players’ situations, said “when the airspace is safe, they’ll be able to go home.”

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Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made several controversial cost-cutting decisions at Old Trafford in recent times

Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s decision to withdraw Manchester United’s annual £40,000 donation to the Association of Former Manchester United Players (AFMUP) has reportedly put the charity’s future in doubt.

The AFMUP, established in 1985, utilised this funding to organise dinners and golf days that raised over £2million for former players, families, and charities. And the iPaper claim that the withdrawal has placed the association’s future in jeopardy, citing the cancellation of two events last year due to venue and catering expenses.

John Aston, 78, a pivotal figure in the 1968 European Cup triumph, recently suffered a stroke and remains hospitalised. Former players reportedly collected £5,000 for a wheelchair, which the club matched, but the AFMUP lacks resources for additional assistance.

Aston’s wife says the family is ineligible for government support and must cover nurse visits at £80 each, four times daily, to bring him home. She is said to remain uncertain over how they will meet these costs.

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The reports come after a huge cost-cutting exercise at M16 under Ratcliffe’s Ineos. The Reds co-owner has overseen a sweeping series of cost-cutting initiatives at United since investing £1billion to secure a 27.7% stake in the club in February 2024.

Speaking last year to defend his cost-cutting decisions, he said: “The costs were just too high. There are some fantastic people at Manchester United, but there was also a level of mediocrity and it had become bloated. I got a lot of flak for the free lunches, but no-one’s ever given me a free lunch.”

The INEOS owner has implemented measures, including eliminating up to 450 positions at United following his minority investment, and scrapping complimentary meals for staff. Ratcliffe, who also drew supporters’ ire by increasing matchday ticket prices to £66 per fixture, with no reductions for children or pensioners, argued that strengthening the club’s financial position was essential to achieving long-term on-field success.

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The 73-year-old said: “There are two halves to a football team. There’s the business side and the sports side. The biggest correlation, like it or not, between results and any external factor – is profitability.

“The more cash you’ve got, the better squad you can build. It’s like a Formula One car – the better car you can build, the quicker you go. The better your squad, the better your football should be. So a lot of what we’ve done in the first year is spend an awful lot of time putting the club on a sustainable, healthy footing.

“If you look at our results for last year, we have the highest revenues ever. Profitability, the second highest ever. We’re not seeing all the benefits of the restructuring that we’ve done in this set of results, and we weren’t in the Champions League.

“Those numbers will get better. Manchester United will become the most profitable football club in the world, in my view, and from that will stem, I hope, a long-term, sustainable, high-level of football.”

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Darryn Peterson has been the talk of the town amid his stellar season at Kansas this season. The Jayhawks guard is projected as a candidate to go as a top pick in this year’s NBA draft.

However, according to Marc Stein, NBA teams that are in the mix to land the No. 1 pick this year are not interested in drafting Peterson.

“Says at least one top talent evaluator whose team will be in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick via the draft lottery in May: ‘I wouldn’t take (Kansas’ Darryn) Peterson with the first pick. Too many question marks.’” Stein said on his “Stein Line” show on Monday.

Peterson’s availability has been an issue for No. 14 Kansas this season. He has dealt with a hamstring strain, sprained ankle and recurring cramps in his freshman year.

Some believe that Peterson’s injuries could have a negative impact on his draft stock.

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Darryn Peterson’s Kansas will face Arizona State on Tuesday

Darryn Peterson’s Kansas (21-8, 11-5 Big 12) will lock horns with Arizona State (15-14, 6-10) on Tuesday. The game will tip off at 9 p.m. ET from Desert Financial Arena in Temple, Arizona.

The Jayhawks will enter the contest on the back of an 84-61 loss to Arizona. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils beat Utah 73-60 in their last matchup.

Kansas will then close out its regular season against Kansas State on Saturday.