Former Illinois Fighting Illini Deon Thomas famously got sold down the river by Bruce Pearl, once upon a time during the legendary retired ex-Auburn Tigers head coach's days as an Iowa Hawkeyes assistant. Pearl recorded a conversation between the two and shared it with the NCAA, resulting in Thomas missing his freshman campaign due to a suspension.
Thomas recently complained that Pearl took away his chance to play alongside Kendall Gill, a 15-year NBA vet, for a chance to go to the Final Four.
"When you are going through what I went through as a 17-year-old, having someone tell mistruths about you, even though you know what your character is and who you are, it was very hurtful in certain ways to have my character questioned in that way," Thomas said. "But to be quite honest, I knew I did not do anything wrong. I knew Jimmy Collins did not do anything wrong. So what seriously affected me and really hurt me was the fact that I did not get to play with Kendall Gill, Steve Bardo, and the rest of those guys from that '89 (Final Four) team. I think if we play, we're right back in the Final Four. So that was one thing that was crushing to me."
According to Gill, Pearl is a "slimeball."
"Some guys are just slimeballs in life, that’s what they are,” Gill said. “That’s the way I feel about the guy.”
Bruce Pearl has become a popular target to pile on
Pearl's first year as a March Madness in-studio host has created plenty of controversy, with his opinions putting him back in the spotlight, and the spotlight drawing harsh criticisms on the 66-year-old.
Things were much lighter before the tournament, when everyone was clowning Bruce for nepotism towards Steven by using his platform to make Auburn's March Madness case over the MAC's Miami (OH) Redhawks.
With everyone's bracket busted, the barbs are increasingly personal. This reporting isn't necessarily new, and these ex-Illini have certainly shared their opinions on Pearl in a public setting in the past. News outlets are simply capitalizing on the negative coverage people want to see on Pearl because of all the nonsensical things he says and advocates for.
The pile-up effect is stressful on a man, especially one who is watching his son's first postseason run unfold in the NIT. Still, he asked for this spotlight, and isn't always necessarily handling it well.