Bruce Pearl has been consistently vocal in his support for Israel throughout the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

After Auburn’s NCAA tournament second round win over Creighton, he advocated for the release of Edan Alexander, an American currently held hostage in Gaza.

“To give us an opportunity to start this conference briefly and remind the world that Edan Alexander is still held hostage in Gaza right now,” Pearl said after the win last Saturday. “An American held hostage and not enough people in this country know his name.”

For Auburn’s Sweet 16 game against Michigan, Pearl invited Alexander’s family to the game.

Roy and Adi Alexander were also pictured with Michigan center Danny Wolf, an Israeli American who represented the Israeli national team at the 2023 FIBA Under-20 European Championships.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m