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Up in the air Knight unsure of behavior guidelines, won't teach class
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- Bob Knight still doesn't know how Indiana's policy of "zero-tolerance" will affect him because the university hasn't said how it will work. University spokesman Christopher Simpson said he had spoken to Knight recently and the coach is "looking at a variety of things." "The bottom line is how do you live within the guidelines and still continue to be a successful basketball coach?," Simpson told The Indianapolis Star. "I know one thing that he's concerned about is how he interacts with the media. How does he exist? Should he limit his access, and if so how much should he limit it?" A former player last spring said Knight had choked him during a practice in 1997. Other accusations of abuse surfaced after that, and in May, school president Myles Brand suspended Knight for three games in the 2000-01 season, fined him $30,000 and warned him any future incidents could result in his immediate firing. A committee chaired by athletic director Clarence Doninger has met nine times in recent months to put together the behavior policy, which is expected to be completed by the end of the month. "From the committee's point of view, we're just about done with our work," Doninger said. "We've met many times throughout the summer, and now it's a matter of having it go through the system, to the president and the board of trustees." Knight, meanwhile, said last week he would not help teach a course in coaching. Assistant coach John Treloar will teach the class in Knight's place. School spokesman Todd Starowitz released a statement Friday on behalf of Knight that said "the nebulous guidelines of the zero-tolerance policy have forced Knight to refrain from teaching." Starowitz said Knight would not comment on his decision not to teach the class, but Tony Mobley, dean of the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, said Knight told him in June he would no longer teach the class because of the zero-tolerance policy. "He just felt with that policy that he didn't want to expose himself to any situation that might arise," Mobley said. "He just thought that if a student became upset with something, and wanted to make an issue, that somehow it might fit under that policy. It was a chance that he wasn't willing to take." Mobley said he was sorry Knight wasn't teaching the class because it has been a popular one the past several years. He said 80 students were enrolled this year, which was about an average number for that particular class. "I suspect there will be a few students who took it just because Knight was teaching it, but my guess is that it will still be well-attended," Mobley said.
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