Transcript of Knight press conference

Coach Bob Knight:\nWho'd we beat or who'd we lose to?\nYou might understand, I hope you'll understand, this very thing, the reason why you're here right now, is the reason why I'm not teaching a class, it's the reason why I'm not doing the tip-off lunch, it's the reason why I'm not going to put myself in a position where this kind of thing can happen. \nI'll explain to you and show you in just a moment exactly how it happened but before I do, I just want to give you a bit of background.\nThere are two things that I've done in my entire coaching career with kids - kids of any age - and once in a while with an adult, but mostly with kids. \nOne is that over the years I've signed an awful lot of things for kids around the country. And if I hand something back to a kid, and the kid doesn't say thank you, I just hang onto it and say what do you say, and when he says, thank you, I always say that's better. And I hope that kid's learned a little bit from that. I learned to say thank you when I was a kid and I hope every kid does.\nThe second thing I've done is 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. My name's Coach Knight or Mr. Knight. \nI was in the fifth or sixth grade in my hometown in Ohio, and I remember one Sunday morning at church - to the disbelief of some - I went to church a lot. We had a coach who played football and baseball at Ohio State. He was an ex-baseball player and he coached all three sports at a small school. His name was Bill Coyer and I, later, long after he retired, got to know him and his mother and stepfather and they became very close friends of mine. But as a fifth or sixth grader - in church this morning - I happened to be beside Coyer. He was a stocky-built guy and his nickname was 'Chub.' And I said 'Chub, How are you?' He put his hand on my shoulder and said 'Son, my name is Mr. Coyer or coach Coyer. I never forgot that, and that's been a little part of what I've done with kids over the years.\n(drawing on the blackboard)\nThe outside of Assembly Hall has a series of double doors. The two doors on the left as you face Assembly Hall on the left, something is wrong with the left door. It gets stuck. As I came up to this door, there were four kids inside that came through the door and you could see this when you go upstairs. \nThere barely is room for two people to get through this door at the same time. As I pushed the door open, there were four kids. 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 the door. 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.' 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 either should you.' \nAnd I took a couple of steps. He took a step or so and said 'I'm sorry' or whatever and I said just remember, when you're talking to elders, what I said. And with that, he stuck his hand forward, I don't know to shake hands or what, and mumbled something, and eventually, 'Goodbye Knight.' And I just kept on walking. And I said to myself I don't think I reached him with that. That is what happened and that's entirely what happened and any deviation from that is absolutely inaccurate. Completely inaccurate. (Assistant coach) Mike (Davis) was there, maybe this far away from the whole situation (the two stood feet apart). He really saw the whole thing longer than I did.\nWe had a third person come forward this morning that had been there and witnessed the whole thing. Just a couple of things other than that, no one has ever heard me refer to my college coach as Fred. I've called him coach or coach Taylor from the time I was 17-years-old to today, 43 years later. \nAnd this, don't even think that you can enter anger into this thing. This was simply a matter of manners and civility. I don't think my voice ever rose above conversational tone or quality. I would have to be an absolute moron with the things that have been laid down on me to grab a kid in public and curse at a kid in public as apparently it's been said that I did. And that is absolutely totally untrue. \nAnd in a final thought, it seems to me to be a very interesting coincidence that this student involved is the stepson of a guy who over the years has probably been the most vitriolic critic I've ever had. That's interesting. \nMike Davis was there 10 feet away and he can add a couple of things to what I've said.\nAssistant coach Mike Davis\nI was standing outside talking to (basketball player) Jeffrey Newton when coach pulled up in his car. As coach got out of his car, coach was talking to Jeff about working hard, about individual workouts and as I was going in the door, coach was going in at the same time. I heard coach say 'my name is not Knight.' And when coach said that, I turned and looked. \nThe kids couldn't see me because they always focus on coach. I turned around and saw coach had the kid by the arm. He never said a curse word and he never raised his voice. It took about four or five seconds for this whole thing to end and as the kids went outside the door, I kind of circled around and looked out the glass and they were all laughing.