Texas Tech Officials Upset With Knight

Although Texas Tech basketball Coach Bob Knight has issued an apology, his use of profanity during an interview broadcast on ESPN Monday night is drawing criticism from officials at the school.

Robert Baker, a faculty athletic representative at the school and past supporter of Knight, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Knight’s profanity made him uncomfortable.

“I wish he’d not been profane,” Baker said. “If I could, it would be the top two or three things I’d correct, my language and then his. I hope it doesn’t happen again.”

Baker was asked what the ramifications might be if Knight were to have a repeat performance.

“I’ll be real surprised if there’s not some problem [with it] in the future, but I’ll be surprised if it’s as bad as this one,” he said.

“He’s living in the Bible Belt, and there are a lot of people who are terribly offended by that. But there’s an awful lot of people who use profanity too.”

Senior vice chancellor Richard Butler told the Dallas Morning News that he condemned Knight’s comments.

“We appreciate his coaching wisdom and what he does for the student-athletes,” Butler said. “We don’t appreciate that sort of language, and we don’t think our constituents do.

“He’s been extremely positive for Texas Tech, but we don’t think that kind of language helps the university.”

Knight and Iowa Coach Steve Alford were interviewed Monday by Fran Fraschilla of ESPN before their teams played in Dallas. The interview aired at halftime of the game, won by Texas Tech, 65-59.

Knight and Alford, a former player for Knight at Indiana, have had a strained relationship that was recently patched up.

Fraschilla asked Alford about the relationship, and Knight jumped in with a profanity-laced response.

Knight apologized Tuesday during his weekly television show.

“I think as a person, I always have a right to my opinion,” Knight said. “But I think as a representative of the university, there should have been a way that I would have expressed that opinion over the question that was asked with a different choice of words.

“I’ve talked to the university about that, and have apologized to them for that and really understand what should have happened and what I wish would have happened.”