Bruce Pearl offers to pay off Miami-Ohio coach Travis Steele's fine with charity donation

Miami-Ohio head coach Travis Steele was handed down a $2,500 by the MAC for his actions during the RedHawks 69-67 win over Western Michigan last week. Steele, whose team finished the regular season 31-0, joined TNT Sports’ pregame show on Saturday alongside co-host Bruce Pearl.

Steele’s appearance on the show is noteworthy given the back-and-forth the Miami-Ohio coach and Pearl have had over the past week. As a truce, Pearl offered to help take on Steele’s recent $2,500 fine, which was handed down earlier in the week by the MAC.

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” Pearl said. Travis, tell me what your favorite charity is and I’ll stroke a check for $2,500. How about that?”

.@coachbrucepearl is paying off @CoachSteeleMU's $2,500 fine with a charity donation of his choice 🤝💰 pic.twitter.com/gVBPNPxAgh

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) March 7, 2026

Steele said he loved the idea. Though, Pearl didn’t say anything about the RedHawks coach’s bill to repay the DJ whose equipment he destroyed amid the chaos, which he was also ordered to do by the MAC.

“Miami University Men’s Basketball Coach Travis Steele has been fined $2,500 by the Mid-American Conference for halftime conduct during the Redhawks’ game at Western Michigan on Friday, February 27,” the MAC said in a statement. “The conduct violated the MAC sportsmanship policy. Steele will also reimburse for damages to equipment that may have occurred during this incident.”

The DJ that Steele has to repay — Charles Welch, known as The Most Incredible DJ Chuck — said that Steele busted his speaker, finding out after the game that the booth output on the back was damaged. The DJ said after taxes and shipping, he’s looking at roughly $3,000 in damage.

Welch said that Steele called him personally on Monday to apologize. Welch was understanding.

Steele and Pearl weren’t going to leave the interview without addressing Pearl’s recent viral comments about the Miami-Ohio basketball team. He suggested that resume not being as impressive as Auburn’s, who is currently on the NCAA Tournament bubble at 16-14 overall despite the RedHawks being undefeated.

While the two appear to have put their squabble aside for this conversation, Pearl’s check may help cushion any differences the two may have with each other. For now, Miami-Ohio is prepping for the start of the MAC Tournament, which is set to begin on Tuesday.