Former Indiana basketball coach Bob Knight was always controversial. Demanding–some said demonically demanding–he also held up players to academic standards that seem part of a bygone age. Knight often let his temper rule him (or so it seemed) and he had a reluctance to apologize. He also led the Hoosiers to 3 national championships. That’s good for a lot of credibility in hoops-crazy Indiana.
He was both a legend and a cautionary tale by the time he was fired 14 years ago for “uncivil, defiant” behavior. He’s never been back to the school, which he felt treated him without sufficient respect or gratitude. Now former Big Ten player of the year A. J. Guyton–who’s being inducted into the university’s athletic hall of fame–wants Knight to let bygones be bygones. Guyton, who played for Knight, wrote an open letter on his Facebook page imploring Coach Knight to come back for his induction dinner. Guyton says a Knight return is the only way to normalize relations between players who played for Knight and Indiana University. Without Knight, there’s no healing. Guyton writes: “You’re the only person who can make everything right & bridge this gap. It’s not about the former administration, it’s about the players.” Guyton knows who he’s talking to, for sure. He writes: “I’m certainly not asking anyone to apologize for anything.” That might catch Coach Knight’s attention.
