Why can't Booby Knight just go away????

[BERIGAN]

ESPN.com news services

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Texas Tech coach Bob Knight got into a verbal spat with the university chancellor, David Smith, at a grocery store Monday, prompting a review by school officials.

One eyewitness told the Lubbock Avalance-Journal that Knight raised his voice to Smith after the chancellor approached him at a salad bar to compliment the coach on his recent good behavior.

The witness told the paper that Knight flew into a rage and accused Smith of being a liar, saying that there had been nothing wrong with his demeanor this year.

Smith turned to leave the area, the Avalanche-Journal reported, but Knight followed. The chancellor then told Knight that he deserved more respect than Knight was showing him, according to the Avalanche-Journal.

The newspaper reports that no physical contact took place before Knight left the establishment after the confrontation, got in his car and pulled into traffic. According to the Avalanche-Journal, Knight stopped his car then and briefly got out before getting back in and driving away.

Smith said the matter was being handled internally.

"Right now, the athletic director and the president's office at the university are looking into the incident," Smith told The Associated Press. "We'll wait to hear more in the next few days about their review."

Asked whether there was any discussion of removing Knight, Smith told The Associated Press: "I can't comment on any of those things right now."

Knight was scheduled to be back on the sidelines Tuesday night when the Red Raiders (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP) play Baylor in Lubbock.

Gerald Myers, the university's athletic director who was instrumental in bringing Knight to Tech in 2001 after he was fired at Indiana, witnessed the encounter. Myers had accompanied Knight to the store, according to the Avalanche-Journal.

The men were getting food around lunchtime at Market Street, an upscale grocery store about two miles from the university, said Dan Sanders, chief marketing officer for United Supermarkets, which owns the store where the incident occurred.

"Apparently, there was some sort of disagreement," Sanders said. "It took place very quickly."

Neither Myers nor sports information director Randy Farley immediately returned telephone messages Monday night.

While still at Indiana in March 2000, Knight was investigated by the university after former player Neil Reed said the coach choked him at a practice in 1997.

In May 2000, Knight was fined $30,000, suspended for three games and placed under a "zero-tolerance behavior policy.

In early September 2000, Knight was accused of grabbing a student by the arm, cursing and lecturing him about manners after the coach was addressed "Hey, Knight, what's up?"

Knight was soon fired from Indiana for violating the behavior policy. Indiana's president Myles Brand, now president of the NCAA, fired him for what Brand called a "pattern of unacceptable behavior."

Just over a month ago, Knight went into a profanity-filled tirade after an ESPN reporter asked about his relationship with former player Steve Alford, who was also participating in the interview. Knight later apologized for the incident.

Texas Tech is 4-2 in the Big 12 this season. The Red Raiders had been unbeaten in the league until last week, when they lost to Texas and Oklahoma State.

Information from The Associated Press and the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal was used in this report.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=1725735

[Jazzmoose]

Why can't he go away? Because these whoring college administrators who care more about publicity and their sports teams than education keep throwing money at this psychotic. Glad I could clear that up for you, Berigan!

[Chrome]

Boy, I sure didn't see this coming ...

[BERIGAN]

Why can't he go away? Because these whoring college administrators who care more about publicity and their sports teams than education keep throwing money at this psychotic. Glad I could clear that up for you, Berigan!

Thanks!

[connoisseur series500]

Bobby Knight should be made permanently unemployed as far as basketball is concerned.

There are a lot of talented basketball coaches in the smaller Division 1 schools who are ready to move up to the bigger programs. There is no reason for any school to feel they have to hire a Bobby Knight.

It's ridiculous.

[Soulstation1]

knight is suspended for 5 days

ss1

[ghost of miles]

My, my, what a surprise. Still, what state better deserves a Bobby Knight than Texas? (With apologies to Jsngry, Lon, & Joe Milazzo.)

[ghost of miles]

I hear Texas Tech tried to make Knight a department chair too:

[ghost of miles]

OTOH, while I'm by no means a Knight defender (I was so glad to see him go in 2000), it does strike me as a bit dumb that the chancellor would pick a grocery store salad bar to make such a remark to Knight, because said remark carried with it a heavy, unspoken implication. Not a good move IMO. Anyways, now it's down to suspension or termination for ol' Bob. Wonder if the student body will rise up and burn the chancellor in effigy, just like they did with the IU president here?

Texas Tech delivers ultimatum

Yahoo! Sports report

February 3, 2004

Bob Knight has been given an ultimatum by Texas Tech chancellor David Smith: Take a five-day suspension – causing Knight to miss games against Baylor and at Kansas – or be fired as the Red Raiders' head coach.

The move came after Smith and Knight had a public argument at a Lubbock lunch spot on Monday.

As of Tuesday afternoon no one was certain what was going to happen. Knight had not arrived for work, and his son and top assistant Pat Knight put the team through an early walkthrough. He is prepared to coach No. 19 Tech against Baylor at 8 p.m. ET.

"I am just waiting around to see if I am going to coach," Pat Knight said. "I haven't heard anything."

The dispute happened when Smith approached Bob Knight at the salad bar of a local supermarket and told him he thought he had been doing a good job this year. Knight said he thought he had done a good job for the past three years and walked to the other side of the salad bar.

Smith then followed him around and asked what issues the two were having. One thing led to another and both men wound up shouting at each other. There was no physical contact and it ended fairly quickly.

Smith informed Knight of the suspension on Monday night. Knight had brought Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to Lubbock to speak to the Law School and was entertaining him this week while preparing for the game.

The Red Raiders, who averaged just less than 12 wins per season in the four years before Knight arrived, are 16-4 this season.

While at Indiana in March 2000, Knight was investigated by the university after former player Neil Reed said the coach choked him at a practice in 1997. Two months later, Knight was fined $30,000, suspended for three games and placed under a "zero-tolerance behavior policy."

In September 2000, Knight was accused of grabbing a student by the arm, cursing and lecturing him about manners after the coach was addressed, "Hey, Knight, what's up?"

That month, Knight was fired from Indiana for violating the behavior policy. Indiana president Myles Brand, now president of the NCAA, fired him for what Brand called a ``pattern of unacceptable behavior.''

This past December, Knight went into a profanity-filled tirade after an ESPN reporter asked about his relationship with former player Steve Alford, who was also participating in the interview. Knight later apologized.

[chris olivarez]

If Adolf Hitler was alive and could take a Division One team to the final four he'd get a gig too.

[minew]

Bobby Knight should be made permanently unemployed as far as basketball is concerned.

There are a lot of talented basketball coaches in the smaller Division 1 schools who are ready to move up to the bigger programs. There is no reason for any school to feel they have to hire a Bobby Knight.

It's ridiculous.

Even more than that, he's obviously not suited to work with students or young people, at all, especially in an educational environment.

[ghost of miles]

Chancellor Smith, here be your future!

Knightriotsphotogalley

[ghost of miles]

Wow, the Chancellor had his "Kamenev moment" in record time!

University backs off ultimatum; Knight to coach

by Yahoo! Sports' Dan Wetzel

February 3, 2004

Bob Knight will not be suspended as head coach of Texas Tech for his public argument with chancellor David Smith. The Hall of Fame coach will take the bench Tuesday when his 19th ranked Red Raiders host Baylor at 8 pm. ET.

"He's going to coach, we just found out there is no suspension," said assistant coach Pat Knight three hours before tip-off.

Knight had been issued an ultimatum Monday night by Smith: Take a five-day suspension – causing Knight to miss games against Baylor and at Kansas – or be fired as the Red Raiders' head coach. But he had never accepted the suspension as it had been widely reported.

Instead Smith was hit with a wave of negative reaction from trustees, alums and students concerning the suspension and the ultimatum was lifted Tuesday afternoon. Knight will serve no suspension at all.

The incident occured Monday at local supermarket. Smith approached Knight at the salad bar and told him he thought he had been doing a good job this year, particularly in controlling his temper. Knight said he thought he had done a good job for the past three years and walked to the other side of the salad bar. Smith then followed him around and asked what issues the two were having.

One thing led to another and both men wound up shouting at each other. There was no physical contact and it ended fairly quickly. The two men are not close friends.

The Red Raiders, who averaged just less than 12 wins per season in the four years before Knight arrived, are 16-4 this season. While at Indiana in March 2000, Knight was investigated by the university after former player Neil Reed said the coach choked him at a practice in 1997. Two months later, Knight was fined $30,000, suspended for three games and placed under a "zero-tolerance behavior policy." In September 2000, Knight was accused of grabbing a student by the arm, cursing and lecturing him about manners after the coach was addressed, "Hey, Knight, what's up?"

That month, Knight was fired from Indiana for violating the behavior policy. Indiana president Myles Brand, now president of the NCAA, fired him for what Brand called a ``pattern of unacceptable behavior.'' This past December, Knight went into a profanity-filled tirade after an ESPN reporter asked about his relationship with former player Steve Alford, who was also participating in the interview. Knight later apologized.

Knight had brought Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to Lubbock to speak to the Law School and was entertaining him this week while preparing for the game.

Edited February 3, 2004 by ghost of miles

[connoisseur series500]

If Adolf Hitler was alive and could take a Division One team to the final four he'd get a gig  too.

Maybe, but my point is that there are a lot of Division 1 small schools with outstanding coaches just waiting for an opportunity at a bigger school. Not even dealing with the ethics of hiring good but obnoxious coaches, there are enough good ones out there with controlable tempers.

In the end, there is no reason--moral or immoral--to keep or hire Bobby Knight as your basketball coach.

Edited February 3, 2004 by connoisseur series500

[PHILLYQ]

if you want to make Bobby Knight go away, send him on a plane to Puerto Rico and alert the authorities there. It seems that he is still wanted for assaulting a police officer there some time ago. WHAT A JERK!

[ghost of miles]

Chancellor Smith used to be my dad's boss! My brothers & I just got the following e-mail:

Dear sports  fans:

FYI, just in case you hadn't realized this: 

The Chancellor David Smith with whom Bob Knight just had his  public

verbal altercation with in Lubbock is the same Dr. David Smith who

hired

your father to work for him at the Texas Dept of Health.  Dr. Smith was

the Commissioner [head] of the TDH while your father was there.  He

left

in 1996, I think, to head up the medical sciences division of Texas

Tech

and has, apparently, moved up to the chancellor position since then. 

                                  Love, Mom

Small world indeed! Wonder if he ever cornered Dad in the chowline about his performance...