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NCAA Auburn Basketball
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl speaks during a news conference, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Atlanta, ahead of the Sweet 16 in the NCAA college basketball tournament. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
ATLANTA (AP) — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl says he wasn't mixing politics with sports last week when he called for the release of an American hostage in Gaza.
“It’s not political. It’s survival,” Pearl told The Associated Press on Thursday following his news conference ahead of No. 1 seed Auburn's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game against No.