During a recent appearance on "The Benny Johnson Show," retired Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl praised WNBA star Sophie Cunningham for coming out against biological males competing in women's sports.
"I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I'm like, 'I never once said that,'" the Indiana Fever guard recently told ESPN. "I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men."
Pearl, now an ambassador and special assistant to the athletics director at Auburn University, applauded Cunningham, saying it was "what the silent majority looks like" and "how most Americans feel." He went on to say he appreciated how "intentional" she was with her messaging.
"Good for Sophie," Pearl told host Benny Johnson. "What would you do to protect your wife? What would you do to protect your daughters? Like anything. And that's how every man in this country should feel about our young girls."
"Women should be able to play in women's sports and be great and be champions and get treated the same way that the men are treated, but they've got to be separate, otherwise it is not safe for our girls and our women to be able to compete. So, good for our country," he continued.
"It's all about her faith," Pearl said of Cunningham's rising stardom. "It's all about her work ethic. It's all about her being grateful that this country gave her and other women the opportunity to be able to participate. So, I think this is fantastic. I'm happy for my daughters, and I'm happy for my grandchildren."
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