I've addressed that statement, too. Bob Knight tried to intimidate officials, to be sure.....but he actually criticized them far less than is commonly thought. As I said, his number of technical fouls at Indiana was always among the lowest of any coach in the Big Ten.
The problem with Bob Knight and nearly all casual fans is that their image of Knight is completely distorted as a result of media hyperbole in order to get a more marketable story. When you have a guy who accomplished all that Knight accomplished...both on the court and academically with his players, while playing strictly by the rules...and all the average fan knows about him is that "he is that guy who threw a chair" (which would be the first response you get from about 98% of fans on the street when his name was mentioned)....that's why I don't even bother to defend all the silly charges against him from people who don't really know the first friggin' thing about him.
1975 — Upset over two turnovers in a Big Ten game, Knight grabs sophomore Jim Wisman by the jersey and jerks him into his seat.
1979 — Knight is charged and later tried and convicted in absentia for hitting a policeman before practice at the Pan American Games in Puerto Rico, although extradition efforts are later dropped.
1981 — Knight gets involved during Final Four in a shoving match with an LSU fan who said Knight stuffed him in a garbage can at a hotel.
1983 — Knight criticizes Big Ten officiating by standing at midcourt and cursing at Big Ten Commissioner Wayne Duke, who is in the press box. Two days later, Knight assails the referees for the "worst officiating I have seen in 12 years."
1985 — Tosses a chair across the court during a game against Purdue, prompting his ejection and one-game suspension by the Big Ten.
1986 — Receives technical foul for shouting at the officials during a game against Illinois, then kicks a megaphone and admonishes Indiana cheerleaders for disrupting a free-throw attempt by Steve Alford.
1987 — Bangs fist on the scorer's table after being assessed a technical foul during a game against LSU. The university is fined $10,000 by the NCAA and Knight receives a reprimand. Refuses to let his team finish an exhibition game against the Soviet Union after he was ejected for arguing with a referee and is later reprimanded by the university.
1991 — Publicly feuds with Illinois coach Lou Henson, who calls him a "classic bully."
1993 — Is suspended for one game after a sideline tirade in a 101-82 victory over Notre Dame in which he screams at his player son, Pat, and kicks at him. When fans behind the Indiana bench boo, Knight turns and responds with an obscenity.
1994 — Head-butts Sherron Wilkerson while screaming at him on the bench but says it was unintentional.
1995 — Is reprimanded and fined $30,000 by the NCAA for an outburst at a news conference at NCAA tournament. Upset that an NCAA media liaison erroneously says he would not attend the news conference, Knight lashes out at him.
1998 — Is fined $10,000 by the Big Ten for berating referee Ted Valentine, whose officiating Knight calls "the greatest travesty" he had seen in his coaching career. Knight receives three technical fouls and is ejected by Valentine during the second half of a loss to Illinois. Advances to second round of NCAA tournament before loss to Connecticut.
1999 — Is investigated for possible battery after allegedly choking a man at a restaurant. The man reportedly confronted Knight as he was leaving, contending he heard Knight make a racist remark. Prosecutor refuses to file charges. Assistant Ron Felling is fired after Knight allegedly throws him out of a chair after hearing him criticize the program.
March 2000 — Is investigated by university after former player Neil Reed says Knight choked him at a practice in 1997. A videotape of the practice appears to support Reed. Reports surface of other confrontations. In one, Knight throws a vase at a university secretary. In another, Knight's son Tim suffered a dislocated shoulder and a broken nose during a scuffle with his father during a hunting trip. In another, Knight attacked and knocked out an Indiana sports information director in the '70s.
May 2000 — As result of the investigation, Knight is fined $30,000, suspended for three games and placed under a "zero-tolerance" behavior policy.
Sept. 7, 2000 — Is accused of grabbing a student by the arm, cursing and lecturing him about manners after the coach was addressed "Hey, Knight, what's up?"
Sept. 10, 2000 — Is fired for violating "zero-tolerance" policy and for what university President Myles Brand calls a "pattern of unacceptable behavior."
Dec. 14, 2001 — The general manager at the Compaq Center in Houston says Knight, now coach at Texas Tech, offered to fight him over remarks the coach made about the arena's locker room. Knight commented that it "would have been very, very cramped with four midgets." The GM apologized but did not back down from his claims.
Dec. 22, 2003 — Launched into a profanity-filled tirade after an ESPN reporter asked about his relationship with former player Steve Alford, who was also participating in the interview. Alford's Iowa team was playing Texas Tech in Dallas. Knight later apologized.
Feb. 2, 2004 — Gets into a verbal spat with Texas Tech's chancellor at a Lubbock grocery. Is reprimanded — but not suspended — by the university.
Nov. 13, 2006 — Knight approaches player Michael Prince, who was looking toward the floor, and sharply pushes his chin with an open hand, apparently in an effort to get him to look up while talking to him.
That's the record of a pretty shitty person.