GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ – The fate of controversial Indiana University men's basketball coach Bob Knight could be determined within days. University trustees are reviewing allegations that Knight put his hands on the throat of former player Neil Reed during a 1997 practice. Indianapolis media outlets have added fuel to the fire with new reports that Knight punched the university's sports information director in the 1970s and intimidated a secretary by throwing a potted plant in her office.
A new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted the weekend of April 28-30 shows 61% of those polled have heard about the choking incident, either by reading about it or viewing a videotape of the incident broadcast on CNN/SI and other media outlets. Among those who identify themselves as sports fans, the percentage who are familiar with the incident grows to 71%.
Strong Support for Action Against Knight
While
Knight has never been publicly disciplined by the University for
previous incidents, eight out of ten Americans believe the time has
come for some form of disciplinary action. When asked whether
Knight should be fired, given a lesser punishment, or not punished
at all – 40% say he should be fired, 43% prefer a lesser form
of punishment, and 7% believe the coach should not be punished at
all.
Allegations of Physical Force Not Surprising
While the allegations against Knight may appear to be extreme to
some people, most Americans believe the use of physical force by
college coaches against players is not unusual. Eighteen percent of
those polled believe such incidents happen regularly, while 49%
believe they occur occasionally. Twenty-two percent say such
incidents hardly ever happen.
Survey Methods
The results below are based on telephone interviews with a randomly
selected national sample of 1,003 adults, 18 years and older,
conducted April 28-30, 2000. For results based on this sample, one
can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error
attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus
3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question
wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can
introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion
polls.
As you may know, Bob Knight, head coach of the Indiana University's men's basketball team, was recently shown on videotape grabbing a player by the throat while reprimanding the player. Have you, yourself, seen this incident replayed on TV or videotape, have you heard or read about it but not seen it, or have you not heard about it before now?
|
Total |
Sports fans |
|
|
Seen it |
32% |
40% |
|
Heard or read about it, but not seen it |
29 |
31 |
|
Not heard about it |
38 |
29 |
|
No opinion |
1 |
* |
From what you know of this incident, do you think the coach should be fired, should be given a lesser punishment, or should not be punished at all?
|
Total |
Sports fans |
|
|
Should be fired |
40% |
40% |
|
Should be given a lesser punishment |
43 |
43 |
|
Should not be punished at all |
7 |
10 |
|
No opinion |
10 |
7 |
* Less than 0.5%