NCAA: Was Bob Knight Fired Too Soon or Too Late?

I came home on Sunday afternoon to the news that the Indiana University had the basketball coaching position open. Bob Knight had finally been terminated from his position after yet another account that the coach had put his hands on another student. Unlike the allegations and situations from before, this came from a student who was just starting his first semester at Indiana.

Many basketball fans will remember the three national titles, an Olympic gold medal, and 24 trips to the NCAA tournament Knight got for the university. However, what Knight will be remembered for most is the history of abuse to his players over his coaching career that has spanned three decades at Indiana. It's almost tragic in a sense, but in a way, it's almost appropriate that he is remembered this way.

His history of abuse towards his players and others and his erratic behavior on and off the court is well chronicled, going all the way back to the mid-1970s. Abusing players, hitting police officers in foreign countries, shooting at reporters, throwing chairs, chewing out cheerleaders, referees, and conference commissioners, barring female reporters from the locker room, accusing referees of involvement of gambling schemes, post-tournament tirades, accidental shootings on hunting trips… you name it, he's probably done it.

Although many people believe he should have been fired years go just for his history of abuse, I believe he should have been fired years ago because of his recent record in the NCAA tournament. The Hoosiers haven't been to a Final Four since 1991 and no further than the Sweet Sixteen since 1994. In the past two seasons, the Hoosiers have suffered two of the biggest losses in the tournament in the program's history. The program also hasn't won a Big Ten championship since 1993.

With the many allegations of what was going on with Knight's many situations, many ask why athletic director Miles Brand didn't fire Knight earlier. We may never know.

It is uncertain that the student, who is the son of a local legal commentator and former sports talk show host who was often critical of Knight, is credible. What the student did was rude and in a way warranted a talking from Knight. I don't want to start a conspiracy theory, but maybe he was just looking to get a scoop for his father's buddies at the local TV station. But with the "zero tolerance" policy put in place in May, and the denials of Knight, it was plain to see whose side the university took.

Although I don't approve of his coaching methods, I still respect Bob Knight as a coach because he's a proven winner. If he does get a coaching job somewhere else, let it be. He should be aware that eyes would be upon him especially. One slip up and he's pretty much dead.