Bruce Pearl: We Screwed Up College Sports

Bruce Pearl joins Sage Steele for ninety minutes on the fall almost nobody remembers correctly. In 2011 he was fired at Tennessee after admitting he lied to the NCAA. He lost an $11 million contract, went through a divorce, and took a job putting product into convenience stores while doing overnight radio. He tells Sage what his daughter Leah said to him during that stretch, and why he says it meant more than any championship.

He also tells the story of how Auburn happened, including the trick his wife played on him the night before the interview that changed everything. Eleven years later he retired as the winningest coach in Auburn basketball history and handed the program to his own son.

The second half goes wider. Bruce Pearl on why he believes coaches and administrators, himself included, blew the NIL era, and what a $4 million roster becoming a $30 million roster does to college sports. On growing up Jewish in 1960s Boston, the grandfather who refused to evict his tenants, and why black recruits and their families kept saying yes to him. And on why he walked away from coaching to speak publicly about Israel, faith, and the country he wants his grandchildren to inherit.

The Sage Steele Show. New episodes every week.

Sponsors:

Provide one life-saving ultrasound for just $28 at https://preborn.com/sage.

Your $17.76 3-week QuickStart is ready for you! Visit https://www.relieffactor.com/ or call 800-4-RELIEF.

Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to https://honeylove.com/SAGE! #honeylovepod

https://www.Quo.com/SAGE

BTS on Patreon:

http://bit.ly/4nLmOSk

The Sage Steele Show is a weekly podcast hosted by former ESPN anchor Sage Steele. Each week, Sage sits down with entertainers, athletes, business people, and politicians to have deep dive personal one on one discussions that enlighten, entertain, and engage. There's a whole big world out there that's not just sports, and Sage wants to talk about all of it.