| | ESPN.com news services
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Mark Shaw, the stepfather of the student who was confronted by Bob Knight, told ESPN that he would like an apology from the former Indiana coach.
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Shaw's suggested apology
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"After careful consideration of the circumstances surrounding the incident at Assembly Hall on Thursday, Sept. 7th, I take full responsibility for this unfortunate occurrence. I apologize to Kent Harvey, his brothers Kyle and Kevin, their parents, and Kent's friends Jonathan Browning and Chris Shieldsmith. I will apologize to Kent, his brothers, and friends privately when I return to Bloomington.
I recognize that the jargon currently used by young people to call elders by their last name is not necessarily disrespectful, and I want the community to understand that these students should not be criticized for their conduct.
I look forward to the students continuing their education at Indiana University."
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Knight's was fired Sunday by Indiana University for a "pattern of unacceptable behavior." Shaw also told ESPN that he and his stepson have received threats.
Kent Harvey, a 19-year-old Indiana University student, addressed the coach last Thursday as they crossed paths by saying, "Hey, Knight, what's up?" Knight deemed this
disrespectful, grabbed the student's arm and lectured him.
Shaw told ESPN that all he and his stepson want from Knight is an an apology.
Shaw said he was contacted Saturday by Knight's friend, Larry Rink, a Bloomington physician, who said the coach wanted to apologize.
Shaw, a Knight critic and former local talk-radio show host,
drafted a statement of apology and faxed it to Rink on Sunday
morning -- one hour after Knight was fired, the newspaper said. The
statement called for Knight to take responsibility for the
confrontation and to discourage criticism of Harvey and other
witnesses.
Harvey could not be reached for comment late Sunday. A message
on his dorm room phone said his voice mailbox was full.
An outspoken critic of Knight, Shaw was a legal analyst for ESPN in 1992 during the Mike Tyson trial.
Shaw says that the school has been very supportive of his stepson. Most of the people named in the apology where witnesses to the incident.
At a news conference Friday, Knight called the accusation that he cursed at Harvey "absolutely, totally untrue," saying he simply gave the teenager a lecture about manners while holding his arm.
Knight also called it an "interesting coincidence" that the student was a stepson "of a guy who over the years has probably been the most vitriolic critic I've had."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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