| | Associated Press
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Bob Knight bid farewell to Indiana University, saluting cheering students and urging them to forget about the freshman who played a part in the coach's firing.
|  | | Most in the crowd of 6,000 IU students, including freshman Ashley Curry, were supportive of departing coach Bob Knight. |
"Let that kid be a student and let him get on with life,"
Knight said Wednesday night. "This thing, believe me, had happened
to me long before that situation took place. That kid is not
responsible for my not coaching at Indiana, and make sure you
understand that."
The peaceful crowd at Dunn Meadow was estimated by police at
about 6,000. Some students watched from the roof of a fraternity
house across the street. Others climbed trees that ringed the
meadow, the site of many campus protests in the 1960s and '70s.
Many hoisted signs of support for Knight, who was fired Sunday for
violating a zero-tolerance behavior policy imposed by university
president Myles Brand.
Knight never mentioned Brand by name, and he took only a few brief jabs at the administration in his 20-minute talk.
"This is a great university," he said. "Trustees,
administrations, faculties change ... but this university has
really stood the test of time, because the really good people that
take care of you in the classroom and in every other way far
outnumber the people that have agendas that don't involve the
students first of all."
Knight was fired three days after he grabbed and berated freshman Kent Harvey, who had called out, "Hey, what's up, Knight?" a greeting Knight regarded as disrespectful.
Several players threatened to transfer after Knight was fired, but all of them decided to remain when assistant Mike Davis, who had recruited many of them, was selected interim coach by athletics director Clarence Doninger on Tuesday.
Knight urged the students to continue supporting the team and
the new coach.
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ESPN nets high ratings for interview
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ESPN's live telecast of its interview with Bob Knight on Tuesday was a ratings bonanza for the network.
About 1.7 million TV households tuned in, generating a cable rating of 2.16 for the program from 7-8 p.m. ET.
That's 204 percent higher than what ESPN has averaged in that
time slot on weekdays over the past month.
It was a contentious 35 minutes of live television, with the
former Indiana basketball coach providing rambling answers and
bristling at interviewer Jeremy Schaap's attempts to keep him
on-subject.
In Indianapolis, the show drew more viewers than any other show
all day, including roughly 18 percent higher than ABC's "Who Wants
to Be a Millionaire" later in the night.
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"When you go into Assembly Hall for the first game this year, I
want you to remember what your moms and dads, your brothers and
sisters, your aunts and uncles and friends that have been in those
seats before you have meant to our basketball team. And I want you
to mean the same thing to this basketball team," he said.
"People change over the years, and that changes situations, for
good and for bad, but don't let the student body, the energy, the
enthusiasm the student body has had for basketball, please don't
let that change. If you want to do something to remember me by, do
that. Continue the same energy, the same enthusiasm the students
before you have given to basketball. I'll be very proud of you for doing that."
A university spokesman called it "an awfully gracious speech."
"Students have always been important to him, and I'm glad they
got to see him tonight," IU vice president Christopher Simpson
said. "Twenty-nine years is a long time. There were some highs and
lows, but I certainly didn't take offense at anything he said."
Neither did the students, who greeted Knight with applause and
cheers as he approached the platform at the edge of Dunn Meadow and
then kissed his wife, Karen, as she dabbed her eyes with tissue.
"I hope that's not inappropriate physical contact," Karen Knight said, drawing laughter.
Forward Tom Geyer called the kiss "the most touching part" of Knight's appearance.
"People don't see that side of coach. It's just sad that they had to wait until now," Geyer said.
One banner in the crowd read "Free 29 years of IU junk," but
most signs supported Knight:
"Politics + a punk + cowards = railroading of a great man" ...
"Career victories, Knight: 763, Brand/Doninger: 0" ... "Bring
back Bobby" ... "My degree is from Knight school."
Colin Banta, 19, a freshman from Griffith, said Knight made his
point with the administration "in a subtle way. ... To most people
here, they would have been on his side no matter what."
David Smuckler, 18, a freshman from St. Louis, said Knight conducted himself "better than he normally does. ... It was a good way to say goodbye to Indiana."
Meghan Felicelli, 20, a junior from St. Paul, Minn., said she was pleased Knight didn't use the speech to justify his actions. "He wished us the best of luck and asked us to do the same for him."
Julia Gilham, 18, a freshman from Indianapolis, said she was not a fan of Knight but came to the rally "because it's like history in the making ... because IU basketball is such a huge tradition."
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Bob Knight addresses Indiana University's student body.
RealVideo: 28.8
 Bob Knight urges IU students not to place the blame on freshman Kent Harvey.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Bob Knight takes a shot at IU's administration.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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