Knight: I Was Never 'Out of Control'

W A S H I N G T O N, March 27 -- Basketball coach Bob Knight, newly hired by Texas Tech University, on Monday swore off profanity and insisted he was never "out of control" during29 years of coaching at Indiana University despite thenotorious temper that cost him his job there.

A kinder, gentler Knight appeared on CNN's Larry KingLive with his new boss, David Schmidly, the president of TexasTech. Schmidly expressed full confidence in his new basketball coachbut said he would be held to the same high standards as otherfaculty members at the West Texas university.

"If we do anything that brings harm to a student oremployee or to our institution, then that's grounds forappropriate action and action will be taken," Schmidly said."Coach Knight will be treated like any other employee on ourcampus."

Attempting to Curb Profanity

Knight, 60, said he was delighted with his new job, andwould try to eliminate swear words from his dealings withbasketball players and the media.

"Not only do I have to change some things, I mean, I haveto eliminate a thing or two. Not just change it, but … justget rid of it," Knight said.

He said he also hoped to reform his tendency to "stay on adead horse," when it came to disputes.

But the legendary "Coach Knight" insisted his behavior atIndiana University had been "grossly exaggerated," adding, "Idon't think I've ever been out of control."

Zero Tolerance

He denied that he tried to choke an Indiana basketballplayer and said he had aimed to avoid hitting anyone when hethrew a chair during another basketball game.

"I didn't hit anybody with that chair," he said. "If Ididn't know where that chair was going, it would have hitsomebody."

Last September, Indiana fired Knight — who led the school's basketball team to three national championships — after he wasaccused of grabbing a student to lecture him about manners.

The altercation violated a "zero-tolerance policy" imposedon the legendary coach by the school's board of trustees inresponse to an investigation over a videotape that showedKnight grabbing a player by the throat during a practice.