Paper Seeks Bob Knight Records

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) â€” A newspaper is suing Indiana University to force the school to release its records related to the firing of coach Bob Knight. <br><br>In its lawsuit filed Thursday in Marion

Friday, October 27th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) â€” A newspaper is suing Indiana University to force the school to release its records related to the firing of coach Bob Knight.

In its lawsuit filed Thursday in Marion Superior Court, The Indianapolis Star says the publicly funded university deserves to fully inform taxpayers about the events leading to the dismissal of the basketball coach.

``The Bob Knight investigation was conducted by officers of a public institution, supported by taxpayer dollars and is a matter of huge public interest,'' Star editor Tim Franklin said.

``We believe the public will be better served by having all the facts â€” not just those that IU chose to release. Only then can the public fully and intelligently evaluate the events of recent months.''

The Star contends the school violated the state's open records laws by refusing to release the full findings that led to Knight's dismissal.

University spokeswoman Susan Dillman said the school's decision was in line with an opinion from the state's public access counselor.

``We've complied with the law in all respects,'' Dillman said. ``We plan to defend this lawsuit vigorously.''

Knight was fired Sept. 10 for what the university called a ``pattern of unacceptable behavior.'' He had been working under a zero-tolerance policy resulting from accusations he had choked a former player.