Sports

LIGHTS OUT FOR KNIGHT?

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana University trustees exited Room 243 of the University Park Hotel in a somber single file yesterday afternoon following a two-hour meeting to discuss the fate of Hoosiers basketball coach Bob Knight. The mood of silent march into the warm midday sun was described as “grim” by a pool reporter.

In the closed-door gathering, the trustees officially handed over all powers of decision-making to university president Myles Brand. At 4 p.m. today, Brand will announce whether the legendary coach – dubbed “The General” – will be reprimanded, suspended, forced to resign, or dismissed for a series of angry tirades spanning nearly 20 years.

Brand will be flanked by the two trustees charged with investigating several charges of violence by Knight, including the Neil Reed “choking incident” of 1997, as well as reports Knight physically and verbally intimidated an athletic department secretary.

Knight is not expected to be present at the press conference.

University spokesman Christopher Simpson said Brand has the “full range” of options available to him, including termination of Knight’s contract. Eight of the nine trustees chose to give Brand full control rather than risk a circus-like atmosphere if the trustees had their own vote. Such a measure would require 48 hours public notice and would almost certainly draw hundreds of thousands from both sides of the divided Indiana community.

One trustee, Stephen Ferguson, excused himself from the proceedings because he said he wanted to protect his attorney-client relationship. Ferguson negotiated Knight’s current contract with the university.

In elaborating on the “timeline” of these historic deliberations, Simpson claimed Brand had not made a decision regarding Knight, yet felt confident enough to insist several times that the president’s decision would be “in concurrence, not divergence, with the trustees.”

Simpson also stressed the “compelling, underlying message” of the meeting yesterday was that Knight’s future would be determined by “what is best for Indiana University.”

Knight has coached at IU for 29 years and his vehement detractors are matched by equally vociferous supporters. One prize recruit, Jared Jeffries, has said he would strongly consider attending another university if Knight is fired or forced to resign. Junior starter Dane Fife claimed he, too, would leave. Yesterday, junior reserve Tom Geyer stopped by the hotel briefly to show his support.

Simpson said Brand and Knight engaged in a “vigorous” and “healthy” two-hour discussion Saturday evening at Brand’s residence on the Bloomington campus, but did not have particulars.

Knight had returned from a fishing trip in the Bahamas Saturday afternoon, hours after releasing an uncharacteristically apologetic statement in which he acknowledged a serious problem controlling his temper. The statement was released at noon, and the two spoke that night from 10 p.m. until midnight, Simpson said.

The two individuals who will join Brand at the nationally televised pronouncement today are trustee president John Walda and vice president Frederick Eichhorn, Jr. The duo headed up a seven-week investigation of Knight’s professional and personal history while with the university.

A pool reporter asked Walda if he had decided to fire or discipline Knight. Walda did not respond. When asked if the discussions had been “personally difficult,” Walda hesitated.

“The process has been … productive,” Walda said. “We’re just about to conclude it.”

The reporter said Walda and his fellow trustees “did not look happy.”

Simpson said the investigation into Knight’s background was completed around 9:45 yesterday morning and was “comprehensive, thorough and exhaustive.”

Brand will reportedly “continue to confer and deliberate” before his decision is made final this afternoon. Simpson figured Brand would talk with “one or more individuals” – possibly Knight – in the 24 hours between official announcements.