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Many events led to Knight's dismissal
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- Bob Knight had bad-mouthed the Indiana administration and alumni, thrown a tirade at a university lawyer and refused to show up at a handful of important school functions. And that was just in the 17 weeks since the coach was warned about his behavior, school president Myles Brand said. While a chance encounter with a smart-mouthed freshman triggered Knight's dismissal Sunday, it was just the final part of a pattern of "unacceptable behavior," Indiana officials say. The curses that Knight spewed at the lawyer and his decision to leave Bloomington to go fishing in Canada while his job was in jeopardy also led to his downfall, university spokesman Christopher Simpson said Monday. Those events convinced university trustees that Knight had no intention of following the zero-tolerance policy he agreed to in May, trustee Cora Smith Breckenridge said. During his 29 years as Indiana's basketball coach, Knight rarely talked about the good things he did, such as his success in graduating players and the millions of dollars he gave to the university library. All the while, the school's image suffered from his angry outbursts, Simpson said. "This is not the way anybody wanted Bob Knight's career to end," he said. Knight's end came after 19-year-old Kent Harvey said, "Hey, what's up, Knight?" as the two crossed paths at Assembly Hall, a greeting the coach deemed disrespectful. Knight grabbed Harvey's arm and lectured him about manners. Harvey's family complained to university police, which declined Monday to press charges against Knight. Trustees became aware of Knight's other recent misdeeds during a meeting Saturday, the day after his run-in with Harvey became public, Breckenridge said. Brand detailed the misconduct at the news conference Sunday in which he announced Knight's firing. That included the tirade directed at the female university lawyer in his office. Brand referred to her as a "high ranking university official," whom The Indianapolis Star identified Monday as school counsel Dorothy Frapwell. Frapwell was in Knight's office discussing school business when he switched the conversation to a $30,000 fine he received in May, trustee Ray Richardson told the newspaper. "The coach did use profanity in the conversation and the university official felt intimidated, and described his eventual demeanor as enraged," Simpson said. "She said, 'This is the end of the conversation,' and he said, 'I think you should leave,' and that was the end of it." She did not file a complaint, Simpson said. Brand also said Knight had refused to follow the athletic department's chain of command and had been insubordinate to him Friday by refusing to stay in Bloomington, instead flying to Canada to go fishing. Breckenridge said that's when she agreed Knight should lose his job. "I think Indiana University is much more important than a fishing trip," she said.
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