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Bobby Knight Suspended for Verbal Spat With Chancellor
Bobby Knight got into a verbal spat with university chancellor David Smith at an upscale grocery store.
Bob Knight's temper has him in trouble again.
The Texas Tech coach got into a verbal spat with the university chancellor at a grocery store Monday, prompting a review by school officials.
Knight will be suspended anywhere from three to five days, according to published reports. The reports, by The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, ESPN and CBS Sportsline.com, did not identify sources.
Texas Tech officials told the Associated Press on Tuesday that no decision had been made on disciplinary measures.
Tech spokeswoman Sally Logue Post said she did not know details of the encounter between Knight and David Smith. No one was injured, she said.
"Right now, the athletic director and the president's office at the university are looking into the incident," Smith said. "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 coach at home Tuesday night when the No. 19 Red Raiders faced Baylor.
The encounter occurred when the men were getting food during lunchtime at an upscale grocery store about two miles from the university, said Dan Sanders, chief marketing officer for United Supermarkets, which owns the store.
"Apparently, there was some sort of disagreement," Sanders said. "It took place very quickly."
Gerald Myers, the athletic director who was instrumental in bringing Knight to Tech in 2001 after he was fired at Indiana, saw what happened, Post said.
Randy Farley, sports information director for basketball, referred all requests for comment to university president Jon Whitmore. Myers and Whitmore were not available for comment Tuesday morning.
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.
Texas Tech is 4-2 in the Big 12 Conference this season. The Red Raiders had been unbeaten in the league until last week, when they lost to Texas and Oklahoma State.
Source: AP
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