Bobby Knight Fired!!
So, a student calls him "Knight", Mr. Basketball grabs him by the arm and lectures him on the proper way to address his elders...sounds like reasonable grounds for dismissal to me. Having grown up with Mr. Knight (all respect intended) on TV, throwing chairs and chewing out referees, I have to wonder at what the real reasons for firing him were. The IU basketball program over the last 30 years was one of the most dominant sports dynasties of our generation. However, the last few years have been one scandal, accusations, and name calling. IU officials could never fire Mr. Knight for that, though. Bobby Knight ranks somewhere between Jesus and Larry Bird in the hearts of Hoosiers. It's the Liberal Elitists who run IU who called for his head.
The "Zero Tolerance Policy", instituted in May of this year, was clearly designed to trap Mr. Knight. Everyone in Indiana knows he could never live up to this standard of conduct, nor could ANY coach in the NCAA. Zero Tolerance stripped Mr. Knight of his rights as a coach to demand respect from his players and the media, while setting up an "ease out" for the cowards who run the university.
The game, I think, has passed people like Bobby Knight by. College Basketball players today are a reflection of the primadonnas of the NBA, playing the game not for the love of it, but for the golden pot of cash, fast cars, and paternity suits at the end of the rainbow. This is just another nail in the coffin of our beloved college basketball. Did Bobby Knight do anything wrong during the course of his 30 years at the helm? Of course he did. I think he did a lot more right, though.
The true fans of NCAA basketball will sorely miss you Mr. Knight. Indiana Basketball will flounder for years without you, not because a competant coach can't be found, but because Bobby Knight IS Indiana Basketball.
3 National Championships
11 Big Ten Titles
1984 Olympic Gold Medal
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