In his first network interview since being fired as
Univ. of IN men's basketball coach, Bobby Knight criticized
ESPN's Jeremy Schaap for interrupting him during the live
Q&A. Knight, on Schaap's interruptions: "You have a real
faculty for doing that." Schaap, laughing, said, "Thank
you." Knight: "I don't think it's anything to be real proud
of, myself." At another point, Knight again objected to
Schaap's interruptions and line of questioning. Schaap
responded, "Bob, you came here to do an interview. I'm
asking you questions." Knight: "Well, then let me finish
the answer. Is that okay Jeremy?" Schaap: "Okay." Knight:
"Is that fair enough?" Schaap: "Please, go right ahead."
Knight: "Have I interrupted your questions yet?" Schaap:
"Yes." Knight: "No I haven't. You've interrupted my
answers with your questions and then I've tried to get
back." Schaap: "So let's continue." Knight: "Let me finish
this." After a long pause, Knight told Schaap, "You've got
a long way to go to be as good as your dad. You better keep
that in mind" (ESPN, 9/12).
MAKING DAD PROUD? In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes that
before the interview, "We figured young Jeremy would be
terribly overmatched." But Schaap "resolutely asked all the
right questions despite Knight's protestations that he had
interrupted his lengthy (and often meandering and
irrelevant) responses." Schaap "at all times remain[ed]
respectful" of Knight and produced "a strong interview, one
that should be stored in the annals of sports broadcast
journalism" (N.Y. POST, 9/13). In DC, William Gildea writes
that Schaap "several times broke into Knight's extended
answers" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/13). In Indianapolis, Terry
Horne writes that Schaap "was trying to steer the
conversation, jumping into pauses to ask questions or to try
to pin Knight down." After the interview, Schaap called the
comment about his father "kind of a cheap shot, but it's not
a big deal." Schaap: "That's who [Knight] is. That's the
way he responds to a line of questioning he doesn't like."
ESPN Dir of Communications Mike Soltys said that the net
"approached Knight through" ESPN men's college basketball
analyst Digger Phelps, who is a "longtime friend" of
Knight's. Knight also spoke with The Sporting News (INDY
STAR, 9/13). An AP report stated that Schaap "was tougher
on Knight" than Phelps and ESPN's Roy Firestone were during
ESPN's live interview in May (AP, 9/12).
A WORD IN EDGE-WISE: On his WinStar Radio Network
segment this morning, Keith Olbermann said, "Excepting the
interruptions of Jeremy Schaap and Knight's complaints about
those interruptions," the interview "looked like random
questions and answers edited together. Schaap asked about
the contact with Indiana freshman Kent Harvey; Knight
answered about speeches to alumni" (WinStar, 9/13).
