John Walz — posted 9/12/00 12:55 p.m.
How many times does a person need to prove they are a jerk?

Susan Stallings — posted 9/14/00 11:20 a.m.
What part of "zero-tolerance" did Bobby Knight not understand?

Kenneth A. Pierce — posted 9/14/00 11:20 a.m.
Bobby Knight's track record of misbehavior is inexcusable. He is not, as some have suggested, the last of the old-style coaches, an effective disciplinarian. Nor is he the victim of political correctness. What he is and always has been is a jerk with no self-control. He does not inspire respect in his players, but fear. He in no way belongs in the same league as John Wooden and Dean Smith. My father was an "old style" basketball coach for almost 30 years. He was a strict disciplinarian who expected the best from his players. But, as passionate as he was, he never harmed a player. Such behavior is beneath contempt.

— posted 9/13/00 3:05 p.m.
Knight should have gone long ago, because he is a horrible boor, and boorishness as pronounced as his is as much a danger to our culture as are bare breasts on free TV. He should have gone long ago because he is a bad example for our youth -- using foul language, scuffling with police, making light of rape, and all the rest. As for Ledeen's argument -- so what if he's a conservative? A conservative foul-mouthed megalomaniacal boor is still a foul-mouthed megalomaniacal boor. Indeed, the fact that he can be used as a poster child of conservatism is good reason for conservatives to loathe him -- because he reinforces the notion of conservatives as troglodytes. Conservatives should prefer Knight's one-time disciple, Mike K-however-it's-spelled at Duke (even a good speller can't get his name spelled right before noon), who also follows the rules and graduates his players and wins games the right way, but without the obnoxiousness. And when he does lose his temper in a way that's out of line, as he did once at some student reporters, he goes out of his way to apologize. he proves you don't have to be a troglodyte to be an effective, winning coach and educator.

Bill Steffen — posted 9/13/00 10:35 a.m.
Too many conservatives exit in ignominious fashion. From Nixon's last "V-salute" at the helicopter on the White House lawn, to the extended arm of Woody Hayes, to George Roche's flight from Hillsdale College; they achieve great things. Then, ala Dylan Thomas, they exit with a wimper..blaming others for their own self-inflicted wounds.

Bobby Knight embodied the ideals that conservatives esteem. He taught hard work, 100% effort, and he inspired confidence and loyalty that allowed his teams to excel beyond their natural ability.

This was truly the straw that broke the camel's back. A straw provoked from the obnoxious son of an adversary. However, lets not blame the straw, as much as the load that rightly burdened the camel. Conservatives are often held to a higher standard. We should work to hold liberals to those high standards, rather then allowing our kind to stoop to their standards. "Say it ain't so, Bobby! Say it ain't so".

Todd Zubler — posted 9/12/00 3:35 p.m.
As an Indiana native and a conservative, I'm tired of hearing conservatives jump to the defense of Bobby Knight. Sure, he may have conservative values at heart, but since when do conservatives consider it appropriate to assault police officers, spew profanity in public, and physically intimidate your students and fellow employees? Knight gives a bad name to conservatives' efforts to restore decency, civility, and order to our society.

Don — posted 9/12/00 2:25 p.m.
anyone who throws chairs in public arenas and assaults people should not be held up as a mentor. True sport provokes emotion, but the genious of sport is to direct emotion at performance. No assault or battery should be accepted in sport. Hockey players, defensive football players and everyone acting in view of the public should be held to strict standards of assault and battery. Woody Hayes was a great coach but he committed a crime against that player when he close lined him. Bobby Knight has committed numerous crimes. His public unaccountability made him a target for provacateurs, true, but it is the action without consequences that caused that. I seriously question whether now, after all these years of unaccountability, the man can function without his "intemperate" (brutish and criminal) manners.

Jim Martingale — posted 9/12/00 2:25 p.m.
Let me begin by saying that I do not follow college basketball closely, nor any other college or professional sport. I am however a lifelong athlete and have had many coaches mentors along the way. The news clips I get of athletes and coaches alike are not heartening regarding the way we compete in sports. The ranting and raving and showmanship so prevelant at all levels of sport today underscore our narcissistic (sp?) society. Regardless of Bobby Knight's other contributions, philanthropy or views; I believe his actions are representative deplorable state of competitive sports where bad manners and a lack of good sportsmanship is mistaken for healthy intensity.

doug — posted 9/12/00 12:55 p.m.
for years, we have watched coach knights antics on and off the court. finally, when "caught in the act", something was done about it. plain and simple, his guidelines were not to do it again. he failed to live up to his agreement. it is time to leave...knight......

Norris Battin — posted 9/12/00 12:40 p.m.
Of course he should have been fired, years ago. But what I don't understand is why is this such a big deal? Really. They interupted TV programs to let us know that a *basketball coach* was fired. Truman firing MacArthur didn't make this much noise. Where are our values?

Crazy Nines — posted 9/12/00 12:40 p.m.
I file this response with a disclaimer - it's under the heading "Indiana U. was right to fire Coach Knight", which I certainly agree with, but IU should have carried out this action a long time ago. A man who routinely loses his temper to the point of engaging consistently in destructive, even criminal acts and refusing to own up to them does not belong in a college basketball coaching job. The incident which ultimately led to IU's decision is unfortunate. Kent Harvey acted in a disrespectful manner toward Mr. Knight which needed correction. However, sassing one's elders is certainly nothing new in the realm of disobedient acts, and a truly successful basketball coach (or any other adult with a reputation for being upright) would have the license to admonish his offender. Mr. Knight lost this particular license a long time ago, and should have lost his job along with it. It's too bad the trustees at IU took as long as they did to take the proper action. Thanks for reading.

Steve Radonavitch — posted 9/12/00 12:40 p.m.
The moment the tape was shown of Bobby Knight choking Neil Reed he should have been fired immediately.

aaron temple — posted 9/12/00 10:30 a.m.
Just another example of people of means being above the law and norms of society. All I can say it's about time Bobby.....you spoiled brat. A similar example would be the perception of the elite that drug abuse among the rich is a disease whereas drug abuse among the poor is crime. The reason Bobby Knight stayed so long even with his appalling behavior (for years), is because of revenue alone. Good @#$%ing day.

Tom Riehl — posted 9/12/00 10:30 a.m.
A boor is a boor, no matter how elevated his position.

John Hott — posted 9/12/00 10:30 a.m.
I like Bobby Knight; I would want my kid to play for him, if he were good enough. Bob Knight commands discipline, respect, and moral character. He doesn't put up with a bunch of crap. Unfortunately, this is not the 1960's, when kids treated their elders with respect and competence from officials was mandated. It is the year 2000, Bob got caught expecting respect, and he reacted poorly, considering the times. I hope that he finds himself coaching somewhere in the Southwest where I can see him. I'm glad he got fired. Maybe now he'll wind up in Texas somewhere and we can have a real basketball coach in the Lone Star state. Le's just hope that he doesn't continue to pull crazy stunts.

Nathan Edwards — posted 9/12/00 10:30 a.m.
Well at last UofI has done what needed to be done for years and said good "Knight." Knight has been an embarrassment for the university as well as all of college athletics. His inability to control his temper, his verbal and physical abuse of subordinates and players under his charge is the worst example of leadership next to that exercised in the oval office.

The exuses offered in attempts to justify these actions don't. Drive and determination do not offer license for assalting another whether that person be an opponent, staff member, and certainly not a player. Other coaches as or more successful, coach K, Dean Smith, among several, have never had to resort to the antics of mister Knight. They have demanded the same or greater excellence, they have graduated students, they have won championships yet they have done it in a competitive yet respectful and disciplined way.

This action is far overdue.

John Sims — posted 9/12/00 10:30 a.m.
If Coach Knight can't control his own temper and set an example in self control, then he surely doesn't belong in a position as a role-model to impressionable young men. A coach can be a disciplinarian without behaving like a jackass.

Michael Long — posted 9/12/00 10:30 a.m.
I am pleased the former coach was finally removed from his position. Contrary to the opinion of too many people, I believe that boorish pre-school-like behavior shouldn't be tolerated in kindergarten let alone a university.

Jenn Fuller — posted 9/12/00 10:30 a.m.
I'm disappointed that anyone who considers himself a conservative (i.e., a grown-up) could fault the decision to fire Bob Knight for behavior that was irresponsible, childish and self-centered to the point of delusion. I do admire Mr. Knight for his desire to demand respect from a young brat, since the young man's brattiness can be directly attributed to the fact that no other adults in his life (mom and dad?) ever instilled respect in him, but grabbing and yelling is not appropriate behavior for a kindergartener, much less an adult and authority figure. Neither is screaming obscenities, throwing chairs, attacking players and disrespecting one's superiors, all behaviors Knight has established beyond argument. It is a pity that for all of his gifts as a coach and mentor, Bob Knight chose to waste them by allowing his childish, destructive impulses to rule his behavior. However, he did, and the choice was his own. I did not defend the president when he chose to indulge in unacceptable behavior just because he was good at his job. I certainly won't defend Bob Knight.

Rick Miller — posted 9/12/00 10:30 a.m.
It's unfortunate but necessary. He knew what would happen if he even looked cross-eyed at somebody, yet he did it anyway. However, Knight should be recognized for all the positives he brought to the game, such as integrity and ability to get his kids through college.

C.L. Adams II — posted 9/12/00 10:30 a.m.
As a Marine Infantry Officer, I have spent the majority of my adult life leading 18-23 year olds. These young men make mistakes. It serves virtually nothing to treat men of that age like dirt. Yet, that is just what Mr. Knight has built a career on. Was he successful? Yes, and I repect those ends. Does that justify the means? I think not. Lord knows that I wouldn't let my children learn from his example. He's a winner, but he is one that should have been fired twenty years ago.

abbiedad — posted 9/12/00 10:30 a.m.
The "right thing"? Well, I'll give them this: IU had every right to make the decision. The General knew it. And all snetient beings knew the Zero Tolerance Policy (ZTP) was really a euphamism for ZTK -- Zero Tolerance of Knight. Look, IU's campus. IU's arena. IU's student athletes. Ergo, IU's coach. It's really that easy. May they both land on their feet. IU can return to the final four and Robert Montgomery Knight can return to coaching where he will surpass Dean Smith as the all time winningest coach in 5-7 years.

— posted 9/12/00 10:30 a.m.
Pshaw! I thought my favorite conservative website would be the one place where I wouldn't have to abide people weighing in with their impassioned denunciations of the firing of some silly basketball coach. A job isn't an entitlement, regardless of whether you've held it for twenty-nine minutes or twenty-nine years. Coaches can be fired for any reason other than their race, sex, religion, etc. And we shouldn't think we have any reason to open our mouths about it.