Auburn coach Bruce Pearl says Charlie Kirk was assassinated because ‘they couldn’t beat him’ in tribute

Auburn men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl paid tribute to Charlie Kirk during his appearance on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me” with Dan Dakich on Friday.

Kirk was assassinated on Wednesday, and Pearl was one of the many sports figures to offer prayers in the immediate aftermath of his death.

“Charlie was a man of faith. He knew where he was going when his time came. I know that’s not what he was planning on, because he had so much to live for here,” Pearl began.

Head coach Bruce Pearl of the Auburn Tigers reacts during the second half in the Final Four game of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament against the Florida Gators at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on April 5, 2025, while Charlie Kirk, CEO of Turning Point USA, speaks on stage on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024. (Getty Images)

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“He was living, I think, the most important revival taking place in our country, and that was young, conservative, Christian people who were on fire for God, who are on fire for Jesus, who are on fire for this country to help get involved in service and process, and also began to see that the other side was so different than how they felt about faith and family and the right to life. So many things that we take for granted as part of our DNA.”

Pearl then ripped “the opposition” for the political attack against Kirk because “they couldn’t beat him” in debate.

Charlie Kirk speaks before he is shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)

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“The opposition is pulling farther apart from us and getting more violent. I think the reason they’re getting more violent is because, like Charlie Kirk proved every time he debated and had discussion, he was on the side of right, he was on the side of good, he was on the side of accurate history for the most part of what he talked about, and they couldn’t beat him. So they killed him. They murdered him. They assassinated him. They eliminated him. But what they didn’t realize is they actually didn’t. Because he is going to live on through all of us that followed him, that learn from him. 

“Here’s the deal … none of us could touch Charlie. He had a different gift, and he’ll be sorely missed.”

Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a campus event in Utah on Wednesday.  (REBECCA NOBLE/AFP via Getty Images)

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A suspect, Tyler Robinson, was arrested by police in Utah. President Donald Trump announced a suspect was in custody on “Fox & Friends” on Friday morning. 

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