When Charles Bediako made his return for the Alabama Crimson Tide despite all reasoning pointing to why he shouldn’t be eligible after turning pro in 2023, Bruce Pearl called Alabama head coach Nate Oats out, stating that it was “selfish” and that it showcased that the coach didn’t care for the Southeastern Conference or playing by the rules.
In a recent interview with John Canzano of JohnCanzano.com, Alabama athletic director Greg Bryne fired back at Pearl, going as deep as quoting the Bible to back up his argument.
Greg Byrne throws shade at Bruce Pearl
“The Bible says he is without sin shall cast the first stone,” Byrne said. “I try to do my best, I’m not perfect at it, but I try to do my best to live within those parameters.”
Bediako was granted a temporary restraining order allowing him to suit up for the Crimson Tide after three years of toiling in the NBA G League, but after it was discovered that the judge who granted the order was a longtime Alabama booster, he recused himself. Another judge was given the case, and after NCAA lawyers argued against Bediako’s eligibility, the restraining order was denied, and Bediako has not been able to play for the Tide since.
But back to Byrne’s statement. He definitely has a point when it comes to Pearl throwing stones about cheating in college basketball. The former Auburn coach was fired and put on a show-cause clause by the NCAA after lying about having a recruit at a barbecue while he was the head coach at Tennessee. Earlier in his tenure at Auburn, assistant coach Chuck Person was involved in an FBI investigation into payments to players. Person was eventually fired, while two Auburn players – Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley – had to sit out for a certain amount of time.