Bob Knight Says He Has No Problem Airing New Show From Casino

ESPN Says Show Will Not Impact Knight's ESPN Broadcasting Schedule

ODD COMBINATION: The AP’s Jim Litke writes the “funniest thing about the shows -- considering the target audience -- might be the choice of the aging, fuddy-duddy hosts.” Packer and Knight “each devoted a career to building painstaking reputations as principled, independent contributors to the game” (AP, 1/14). In Dallas, Barry Horn wrote the NCAA "will love this." But "hasn't Packer always reminded of a strict NCAA dean of students who preached the purity of the game" (DALLASNEWS.com, 1/13). AOL SPORTS’ Chas Rich notes when Knight was a coach, he “supported legislation that would have prohibited gambling on college sports anywhere -- specifically Las Vegas," but apparently he has “softened his stance towards gambling on college sports” (FANHOUSE.com, 1/14).

CONFLICT OF INTEREST? ESPN VP/Communications Mike Soltys yesterday said that Knight’s involvement with the new project, which will air during the NCAA men's basketball tournament on FSN, will not impact Knight’s ESPN schedule for the remainder of the regular season nor during the '09 NCAA men's basketball tournament. Soltys said, “We did an agreement in November for this season with Coach Knight after he had agreed with Billy Packer for a project.” Soltys declined any further comment, including whether Knight’s involvement in the project would impact his long-term status with ESPN. Knight’s deal with ESPN is only for the ’08-09 season (William Cooper, THE DAILY).

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