Knight May Not Face Extradition

Puerto Rico’s top justice official has recommended against extraditing Indiana basketball Coach Bob Knight to serve a six-month sentence for hitting a policeman during the Pan American Games in 1979.

Gov. Rafael Hernandez Colon was expected to accept the recommendation made by Justice Secretary Hector Rivera Cruz.

The incident between Knight and the policeman occurred during a practice session when the coach asked the policeman to escort a visitor out of the gym. A heated discussion followed, and the policeman told authorities Knight struck him.

Knight was charged with aggravated assault, a misdemeanor, in San Juan District Court Sept. 19, 1979, but left before the hearing. Two years later, he was sentenced to six months in jail and fined $500.