Bob Knight Suspended!

[echothat1]

Tuesday, February 3, 2004

ESPN: TEXAS TECH@KANSAS Sat., 4:00 PM ET


ESPN.com news services

Texas Tech coach Bob Knight has been suspended for five days :thumbupcool: , a result of his verbal confrontation with university chancellor David Smith on Monday at a grocery store in Lubbock, ESPN's [deleted] Vitale reports.


Pat Knight will replace his father as coach of the Red Raiders for their home game Tuesday night against Baylor, ESPN.com's Andy Katz reports. Pat Knight, aware of the five-day action, also assumes he will coach the team Saturday when the Red Raiders visit Kansas in Lawrence.


However, neither Pat Knight or the rest of the Texas Tech coaching staff had been told definitely that Bob Knight will not coach against Kansas, Katz reports.


Texas Tech officials said, however, that no decision had been made on disciplinary measures, but the school was expected to release a statement later Tuesday, Tech spokeswoman Sally Logue Post said.


Bob Knight is expected to discuss his suspension in a news conference later Tuesday.


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


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


Pat Knight, the rest of the coaching staff and the players had not heard from Bob Knight on Tuesday, as he was meeting with his lawyer, Katz reports.


Pat Knight said that his father was very upset over the incident and that his knee-jerk, heat-of-the-moment reaction was to quit. But Pat told him "you've gotta stay the rest of the season" and then decide.


After calming down, that is ultimately what Bob Knight decided to do, Katz reports.


Pat Knight also said that the players were not shocked by any of the news and were conducting business as usual, which included their afternoon shootaround.


One eyewitness told the Lubbock Avalanche-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.


Pat Knight said his father and Smith have had a strained relationship, divided mostly by "petty" issues, but that ultimately the chancellor felt slighted, Katz reported.


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.


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.

GEEZ!!! WHAT A LUNATIC!!! (I'm actually referring to BOTH Knight and Smith)
:wacko:

[Greenwich Pony]

Must be nice to push around your boss like that...

In virtually any other job, he'd be cleaning out the old desk by now.

[Uncle Morty]

Apparently the Chancellor has already backed down,and Knight wont be suspended at all. Dan Wetzel wrote an interesting op/ed piece blaming the Chancellor for the mess. Says he should have known better than to initiate that kind of discussion with Knight in public. Its a crazy world.

[Arkpony]

Same thing as in Arkansas...The Chancellor tried to have Coach Broyles retired and ended up getting his door slammed in his face by the Bd of Governors....sit down and shut up..King Broyles rules the university of Arkansas..not the adminstration

[Arkpony]

Same thing as in Arkansas...The Chancellor tried to have Coach Broyles retired and ended up getting his door slammed in his face by the Bd of Governors....sit down and shut up..King Broyles rules the university of Arkansas..not the adminstration