So last night, Bob Knight slapped a player. He said it was just to get his attention. The student-athlete said it wasn’t a big deal. His parents said it wasn’t a big deal. The athletic director said it wasn’t a big deal. ESPN said that if it was any other coach, we wouldn’t make a big deal out of it.

I’m sorry. I don’t buy it. It’s a big deal. I watched the video. The kid’s head snaps back. Whomever the adult (assistant coach?) was behind Knight has a look of disgust as he realizes what was going on.

When was slapping a kid in the face considered motivation? When was that a way to show a kid how much they were needed? How was that, as Knight claims, "helping a kid?"

I coached two sports for nine years, I yelled when I had to… I had kids run laps from time to time… and I never, ever struck a kid.

Why are we still making excuses for Bob Knight? Why does anyone think it’s o.k. for him to do this? Why are we sending a message to young coaches that this is acceptable behavior?

Will his past successes guarantee that he will always find a job somewhere?