Bob Knight wasn’t a rule-breaker at Indiana or Texas Tech. He had issues, but staying within NCAA guidelines wasn’t one. That’s one of the reasons why he’s unafraid to speak his mind when it comes to other coaches he thinks didn’t play fair.
Might be time to rip himself.
Knight may have helped his son, Pat, recruit two Indianapolis players to Lamar University, according to a story in the Indianapolis Star.
The issue? Lamar recruits Jason Smith and Donnell Minton said they talked with Bob Knight on the phone for about five minutes. Minton told the paper that Knight “told me he thought I’d be a good fit for the program and said he hoped he’d see me at Lamar.”
Except … NCAA rules usually prohibit anyone except the coaching staff from recruiting. The school is probing the situation and the NCAA confirmed that telephone calls can only be made by the coaching staff. But there’s little doubt this was a foul-up. From the paper:“I don’t see any way around this — unless there’s an exception for an icon or legend,” said Dave Ridpath, a former compliance director at Marshall University and now a professor at Ohio University.
“I see no way that Bob Knight can actively recruit for Lamar. All schools deal with this and would love to use high profile folks such as (former NFL quarterback) Chad Pennington at Marshall. But the rule is in place for that very reason — it would be a recruiting advantage.”
Those recruiting advantages pop up occasionally, but they’re usually a secondary violation.
The more interesting aspect will be if Knight faces any public backlash.
Kentucky fans are sure to roast him – they’re still angry about this rip regarding coach John Calipari – but I wonder if other fan bases or Indiana fans in general will ding him. Or if he’ll care.
Related stories:
- Knight rips ‘out of touch’ NCAA for ‘idiotic’ rule that sunk Ohio State football
- Kentucky officials, fans outraged at Bob Knight’s latest rip
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