In case you haven’t seen it, here’s the video of Bob Knight doing what he always claimed the media did — talk about something he knows nothing about.
Mitch Barnhart issued the following statement:
“The University of Kentucky, our student-athletes and their families take great offense to the blatantly erroneous comments made by Bob Knight that ‘Kentucky, year before last, started five players in the NCAA Tournament games that had not been to class that semester.
Academic performance has always been a priority at UK and it’s unfortunate that, although every starter from the 2010 season finished the spring semester in good academic standing, these myths exist. Our men’s basketball team’s APR score reflects our attention to academic progress and our student-athletes take great pride in representing the University of Kentucky on and off the floor.”
Bob Knight has been placated by the talking heads and management of ESPN. I find it deeply disturbing that a major national television station would employ someone that has a proven history of verbally assaulting and battering student athletes. If “Coach” Knight committed those acts against my younger brother or any of his friends I would have but him in a cell before he could he say chickens**t defense. I’m sure he’d be more lenient on Coach Calipari if he disciplined players with a phone book. Good job ESPN, you hired a guy that picked on young impressionable men. I know, it’s ok because he won some games back when talent mattered less.
I got to meet Mr. Papanek last year and he told me about this story since I now live in Bloomington.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1095174/1/index.htm
Let’s face it….. people go to college so they can make a living, not write a paper to be read by future generations. Rather than rate people by degrees earned or GPA, let’s rate people by average earnings the first 5 years out of college.
Also, though by contract perhaps we can’t, UK should refuse ESPN broadcasting any games until they cut ties with knight (notice little k).