Auburn men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl couldn’t believe what happened on Saturday.
Over the weekend, former President Trump was grazed on the ear by a bullet fired during a failed assassination attempt at his political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
One person was killed and two others were injured when Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, who was later identified as the shooter, opened fire less than 10 minutes after Trump began speaking.
Pearl, 64, like many others, was stunned by the shooting. He recalled his initial reaction during an appearance on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich” on Thursday.
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Head coach Bruce Pearl of the Auburn Tigers (Michael Chang/Getty Images)
“My first reaction was: How was this possibly happening? Is it real? When he got up pretty quickly, I prayed, I immediately asked God to watch over him, and praying for him in that particular moment.”
Pearl continued, “Then to see him get up and have the presence and the courage [to pump his fist at the crowd], I mean, Dan, who does that? That’s just rare to have that presence. To let everybody know, ‘Hey, I’m OK, and I am in this for our country, and let’s continue to fight.’ He’d take a bullet for us.”
After the assassination attempt, Trump posted a statement on social media.
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Former President Trump is shown at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 17, 2024. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I want to thank he United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country.”
The statement continued, “Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
The former president was initially going to delay travel plans to Milwaukee for the RNC. Instead, he changed course, not wanting the attempted assassination to affect his schedule.
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Johni Broome, left, head coach Bruce Pearl and Chad Baker-Mazara of the Florida Gators celebrate after defeating the Florida Gators in the SEC Tournament Championship game. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Pearl is entering his 10th season with the Auburn Tigers. He led them to the Final Four in 2019 and has won 173 games in nine seasons with Auburn.
The three-time SEC Coach of the Year has been a head coach for 28 seasons. He coached at Southern Indiana University, Milwaukee University and at the University of Tennessee before taking the Auburn job in the 2014-2015 season.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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