Did Bob Knight Commit an NCAA Violation? You Decide
The Beaumont Enterprise reported late Tuesday night that Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight made calls to Lamar recruits, who are now verbally committed to Lamar, on behalf of his son and Lamar Head Coach Pat Knight.
Pat Knight told the Beaumont Enterprise, "I didn't know it was against the law to have your dad say hello to recruits." Knight continued saying, "At least I'm not paying them. The NCAA should look into guys that are paying players and not worry about guys that are doing it the right way."
While Lamar athletic officials are investigating the alleged rule violation I want to ask a few questions here.
- Did Bob Knight break an NCAA rule? It's debatable and here's why. The rule states that only the coaching staff and those listed on a list of exceptions could contact recruits. How do we know that Bob Knight hasn't done any instruction with the Lamar team? That could be stretched to mean that he was part of the staff or even an adviser to the staff if Pat asked his dad a question.
- Why is it a big deal for Bob Knight to make a phone call, but John Calipari is still allowed to coach? Calipari has led two programs to the NCAA Final Four and is the only coach in NCAA history to have two separate Final Four vacated due to NCAA recruiting violations. Calipari is the current Head Coach at Kentucky and has had the same rumors hit there as well. A phone call from Bob Knight on behalf of his son and Lamar will get attention from the haters of Knight, but its an unjust rule.
The NCAA is a trust that must be broken up. It is a capricious entity that allows some schools to keep mascots and others not(see: Florida State, North Dakota, and McMurry), allow coaches who repeatedly break the rules and stay in coaching, and the bureaucracy that would make many Liberals drool.
If Lamar is punished for this alleged violation then it will show what the NCAA truly is a confederacy of dunces that must be broken up.