By
Keith Carmona
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Like a great God from above, Robert Montgomery Knight Jr. descended upon Indiana University and the entire sports world to impress his momentous wisdom on all that were so fortunate to cross his path.
At least that's what Bobby and all of his half-witted followers in Bloomington will have you think.
Sunday's firing of Knight by IU President Myles Brand was a courageous action that needed to be taken against a contemptuous man.
The last success netted from his despicable coaching strategies came when current Indiana star Dane Fife was still being potty-trained.
Knight, supposedly one of the all-time greats, hasn't captured a National Championship in 13 years, a Big Ten title in seven years and hasn't advanced past the second round of the NCAA Tournament in the past six seasons.
Maybe it's just that Knight isn't concerned with winning, but instead with bolstering his image as a savage tyrant.
His lofty achievements off the court are so impressive that it's hard to imagine he was focusing on anything else.
In 1979, Knight was convicted in absentia for hitting a Puerto Rican policeman before practice at the Pan-American Games. Sentenced to six months in jail, Knight didn't serve because Puerto Rican officials chose not to extradite him.
Two years later, "The General" was involved in a shoving match that left an LSU fan in a trash can.
During the years, Knight has had to grapple with numerous inquisitions on how he handles his often stressful position as IU head coach.
The questions are deservedly relevant, for this is the same coach who once kicked a megaphone at Hoosier cheerleaders for distracting Steve Alford during a free throw attempt.
In 1988 he answered those critics by commenting to Connie Chung, "I think that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it."
So after the Neil Reed tapes surfaced and, most recently, when Knight delivered his saintly enlightenment about respecting your elders to an IU freshman, Bobby-backers still find reason to riot at Brand's house.
The onslaught of death-threat e-mails that flooded Kent Harvey's inbox from Hoosier fans who apparently enjoy watching human peril at the hands of the barbaric Knight is out of control. The Knight supporters must be blinded by the banners collecting dust in Assembly Hall.
Knight supporters aren't at the receiving end of the head-butting, chair throwing antics which they often find hilarious. They need to realize that even with a zero-tolerance policy, their poster-boy isn't going to change his ways.
Knight wasn't fired for grabbing a student's arm or screaming at a woman in the IU Athletics office. The latest incidents were the culmination of shameful episodes that have caused numerous players (including Larry Bird) to transfer from Indiana in hopes of fleeing the terror brought upon by General Knight.
