Freshman alleges Knight assault

Coach Bob Knight never stops teaching.\nHe said that's exactly what he was doing when he grabbed freshman Kent Harvey's right arm about 2 p.m. Thursday in Assembly Hall. Harvey's stepfather, Mark Shaw, said the incident was more than a lesson in manners - it was a unwarranted assault.\nKnight admitted to grabbing Harvey's arm and talking with him. That's where the stories begin to differentiate.\nKnight's version\n"As I pushed the door open, there were (five) kids," Knight said. "And the first three kids tried to go through the door as I'm trying to go through the door as I swing the door open and they're holding it. And as I try and slide through the door, kind of sideways, as does this kid, right about even with the door, this kid looks at me and says, 'Hi Knight.'\n"And as he's moving, I put my hand on the inside of his elbow and I looked at him and I said, 'Son, my name isn't Knight for you. It's coach Knight or it's Mr. Knight. I don't call people by their last names and neither should you.'" \nKnight added any deviation from that is false. \n"When somebody calls me by my first name as a kid, I always tell them, 'I'm not on a first name basis with you,'" Knight said. "'My name's coach Knight or Mr. Knight.'" \nAssistant coach Mike Davis saw the incident as he returned from lunch at the same time as Knight. His description parallels Knight's description. He said Shaw's description was false.\n"Knight never said a curse word and he never raised his voice," Davis said. "I kind of circled around and looked out the glass and (the students) were all laughing."\nShaw and Harvey's version\n"Kent (Harvey) was startled by seeing this celebrity," Shaw said. "And for whatever reason, (Knight) took him by the right arm, grabbed him - hard enough that we saw the imprint and where the skin had been broken. His skin was red as well. Then Knight got right in his face, using the f-word, the G.d. phrase, all of these phrases basically dealing with "You're not giving me no f-ing respect. How dare you call me by my last name? I'm coach Knight, or Mr. Knight, I'm older than you."\n"Kent was so shocked he couldn't tell me exactly what Knight said. It was the other boys who told me what Knight said."\nShaw was adamant that his stepson was telling the truth and didn't instigate the incident. \n"I know my boys - they are kids who tell the truth," Shaw said. "This is not a disgruntled athlete or somebody with an axe to grind. Bob Knight (didn't) know him from Adam. This is a 19-year-old freshman in his 10th day at college who is going about his business getting tickets.\n"What Bob Knight's lucky about is that Kent didn't turn on him and beat the absolute shit out of him."\nHarvey said he wants an apology from Knight.\n"He shouldn't have done what he did," Harvey said. "It was uncalled for."\nHarvey's biological father, Jerry, also stands behind his son's statements and credibility.\n"I've never gone to an authority about him at any time for any reason," said Jerry Harvey, who lives in Indianapolis.\nLongtime critic\nHarvey may simply be a freshman who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but his stepfather has been critical of Knight for years. Shaw hosted a radio talk show in Bloomington for two years during the 1990s and admitted he often criticized Knight.\n"It's an interesting coincidence that this thing comes out where the stepfather is probably the (harshest) critic that I've ever had," Knight said. "That's to me, the interesting point in this whole thing."\nShaw admitted that he is not popular with many people on campus and dismisses any coincidence.\n"I hosted a radio talk show and was highly critical of the coach, and his behavior," Shaw said. I was very strong in my comments about the fact that Knight should be dismissed for his conduct. \n"Anybody who would correlate this occurrence with me is ridiculous."\nDespite his criticism of Knight, Shaw said he did not encourage Harvey to file a complaint. Harvey called home shortly after the incident and talked with his stepfather.\n"I asked him what he wanted to do," Shaw said. "He said, 'I should file a report with regard to it.' "That's when I called Chris Simpson, (IU vice president for public relations and government affairs)."\nShaw said he called Simpson because he has appeared on Shaw's radio program in the past, and he said they've held several off-air conversations.\nThe future\nThe incident occurred before the University announced the specific guidelines of the "zero-tolerance" policy ' which will apply to all IU employees, said Athletics Director Clarence Doninger. The policy was a result of an IU Board of Trustees investigation into a CNN/SI report that Knight assaulted former basketball player Neil Reed, among other allegations. May 15, the Trustees suspended Knight for three games and fined him $30,000. \nThe Trustees could approve the "zero-tolerance" policy at its Sept. 15 meeting, said Doninger, who is head of the committee writing the policy. \nSimpson said the lack of specific guidelines does not give Knight any added leeway in this investigation.\n"If you go back to the press conference in May, President (Myles) Brand was very clear that he will no longer tolerate any improper physical conduct," Simpson said. "These guidelines certainly exist today. We are taking this extraordinarily seriously."\nThe police investigation began at the time of the allegation and is headed by IU Police Department detective Richard Seifers. Harvey's brother, Kevin, said the family has not discussed whether Harvey will press charges. \nKnight told the IDS that he has been interviewed by IUPD. Harvey and his four companions also gave statements to campus police Friday. \nBut IUPD spokesman Lt. Jerry Minger said he didn't know how long the investigation will last. \n"It's arbitrary on how long the investigation will take," Minger said, "depending on the length of interviews and so forth. It could take days."\nTrustee Ray Richardson described how the University will proceed in its investigation.\n"The administration will be in charge of getting the facts, and will rely in part on the police report," Richardson said. "Nobody should jump to any conclusions until the facts are in."\nHeather A. Dinich, Pete Newmann, and Brooke Ruivivar contributed to this story.