Bobby Knight was barely dead when the excuse-making started. His constant boorish behavior was justified in the name of winning, just like always.
“Knight turned boys into men.” Sometimes by assaulting them.
We wonder if today’s athletes are too soft, deftly making Knight’s sadistic tyranny, browbeating and intimidation that much more acceptable.
All that is nonsense. Knight was a bully and a sociopath. His story ends there.
Maybe Knight helped destitute friends and raised money for charity. Jerks often perform noble acts to cover their tracks.
Knight’s resume as a college basketball coach is jam-packed: He won 902 games, three national championships and 11 Big Ten titles. His 1975-76 Indiana team went undefeated.
His accomplishments primarily evoke the question, “What price victory?”
Knight provided a seminal moment for me growing up as a sports fan: He’s the first winner who made me think that his success wasn’t worth what he did on the way to achieving it.
Full disclosure: Knight didn’t cheat, and his players graduated. Nearly 98% of those he coached at Indiana, according to one report.
But irony and vitriol permeated everything Knight did. He hated the media, but ESPN hired him.
His misdeeds were many: He punched a policeman. He threw a chair across a basketball court. He choked, kicked and headbutted players he coached. He jokingly struck a Black player with a whip. (Not funny.) He assaulted a student. He said rape should be enjoyed if it’s inevitable during an interview with NBC correspondent Connie Chung.
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But Knight’s biggest damage was done unseen. He was liable to wage psychological and verbal warfare on anyone caught in his orbit, particularly those much weaker. He outright refused accountability.
A college basketball coach shouldn’t give his players PTSD.
Sure, many of his ex-players love Knight. It’s called Stockholm syndrome.
Bobby Knight was vile and despicable. The world won’t miss him. If there’s a heaven, Knight isn’t in it.
