A Bad Knight in Indiana

A Bad Knight in Indiana
by Robert Yoho

Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight was fired this week for purportedly getting involved in a verbal and physical confrontation with one of the students. IU President Myles Brand asked for the basketball coach's resignation, but immediately fired Knight when he refused.

I personally think Coach Knight's actions were reprehensible, so I will not try to defend him. However, I do not think his actions rise to the level of termination. He didn't commit an act of treason or bribery, nor is he guilty of anything that other coaches haven't already done (throw a chair or two, choke someone, or head butt a player). But none of them were punished this severely for their infractions.

Bob Knight is doing a good job coaching the basketball team. This incident didn't happen on the court. It was part of his personal life, so I don't think it should really be anyone else's business. Even famous NCAA basketball coaches are entitled to a private life.

What we have is an out-of-control college president, who is just out to "get" the basketball coach. Maybe we need to launch an investigation into Brand's background and see who his friends are. Maybe the president of Indiana University is part of the vast Knight-thing conspiracy. Perhaps we need to see where he gets his contributions to the university. Maybe he is just being used as a tool by Newt Gingrich and Richard Mellon Scaife. Brand could be taking money from the special interests of Big Tobacco or Big Corn. There are a lot of farmers and cornfields in the state of Indiana. Is it possible that Brand is getting his money from a group of bitter Cornhuskers in Nebraska?

It's a war out there in America's heartland! This bunch of mean extremists cannot beat Coach Knight on the basketball court, so they attempt to undermine him off it. The man has a lot of enemies and they have obviously been conspiring to get Knight for these many years. This is only an attempt to overturn the results of a season.

There are many Hoosiers who do not approve of the man personally, but they are quite pleased with his job performance. We need to consider his recent actions in context of the totality of his basketball career. He has won a lot of games and championships. The basketball budget is good there. Indiana was even anticipating a budget surplus.

The American people in Indiana have been polled on the subject and they overwhelmingly support the man. Bob Knight is immensely popular. Perhaps they could wait until he leaves the game and then punish him. Perhaps the state legislature could pass a tough resolution of censure against him.

Are there not still thousands of uninsured children in the state of Indiana? Then why are we worrying about whether the basketball coach abused a student? The college student--not much more than a male bimbo in pursuit of a book or movie deal--was probably looking for it anyway. Can't we just put this all behind us? We need to get back to doing the people's business. What are we going to do about Medicare, Social Security, education, and the environment in Indiana? And remember: no accusation about a basketball coach ever fed a hungry child or treated him with expensive, life-saving drugs.

I'm sick and tired of this "Knight bashing." Everybody knows that it's nothing more than politics.

We need to stop all this and let Bob Knight get back to doing the work of the Indiana people. I mean, after all, it isn't like the guy had sex with an intern or was accused of rape or something!