Bob Knight gave us nothing new in his ESPN interview on Tuesday. He, of course, doesn’t think he has done anything to warrant being fired by Indiana University. But the most revealing part of the interview was not Knight’s explanation of the various incidents that led to his firing. Knight showed his true colors when he reprimanded interviewer Jeremy Schapp for interrupting Knight to ask pertinent follow-up questions. Schapp was doing his job, and doing it pretty well. But Knight became incensed because he didn’t have complete control. And he’s a control freak. So when Schapp took the interview in a direction Knight didn’t like, he lost his cool. And he childishly told Schapp that the reporter had a long way to go to be as good as his father. Knight can not deal civilly with other people. He couldn’t deal civilly with Jeremy Schapp, or the student that said “what’s up, Knight?” last week. And that’s why he’s out of a job, though he doesn’t see it. Knight is a very good coach. He wants to coach again, and because he wins, he will get another job. But he’ll still be a jerk.
