So I mycased Bobby Knight...
It's the 26th anniversary of Bobby Knight's separation from Indiana University. Once again, Bobby Knight might be the victim of a smear campaign that is so toxic that it warrants an investigation.
According to the Martin County Clerk of the Circuit Court, someone entered false information into the public record as a joke just to have fun at Bobby Knight's expense. If Bobby Knight was charged in 2004 with attempted murder, someone would have noticed.
I encourage readers to download the CCS in case the State of Indiana tries to erase it.
Intrusive thoughts
My recent sojourn to Bloomington, Indiana has brought me bittersweet memories.
One of the intrusive thoughts that won't leave my mind is a memory of the time I witnessed history first hand when Indiana University fired Coach Bobby Knight in September, 2000.
Despite history of allegations against Coach Knight, I'm certain he was the victim in the matter that ultimately decided his fate at Indiana University. Less than an hour after the news of Knight's termination broke, a majority of the student body had decided Coach Knight was a victim of wrongful termination. The civil unrest erupted almost immediately.
The student body soon converged near the presidents house and fucked a bunch of shit up. It was the only time I had witnessed the police use tear gas on campus, but I didn't attend many protests IUB.
A couple of days following the news of Coach Knight's termination, the flames of controversy cooled.
Rabbit hole and the deep dive
Intrusive thoughts, nostalgia, and OCD sometimes can lead to new ideas and questions. I asked myself recently "has anyone ever done a deep dive into Bobby Knight's criminal history?" Maybe there is something we missed.
It didn't have to dive too deep to find something the media overlooked. I didn't even get balls deep. I simply searched the MyCase.IN.gov docket for Coach Knights full name, Robert Montgomery Knight. One result coming from Martin County, Indiana returned a felony attempted murder charge that was levied against a Robert M. Knight on July, 15, 2004. This was just after I graduated from Indiana University.
How could Attempted Murder charges against a famous Hoosier go unnoticed?
The chronological case summary leaves a lot to be desired for Soi (sic) vs Robert M. Knight, case no. 51C01-0407-FD-005001. It's not certain the defendant is the late basketball coach.
It's unusual, based on my experience looking through court dockets, for the State of Indiana to abbreviate its name as 'Soi.' I noticed the case was decided several years later and the CCS mentions no disposition.
The address listed for the defendant is in an unusual format, citing only "Hoosier Court Texas Tech." This clue, along with the physical description as a white male, is the primary reason I am reasonably certain that the defendant in the case is Coach Bobby Knight.
I made a copy of the docket entry in case I am dealing with something the State of Indiana is trying to sweep under the rug.
The prosecutor listed on the docket has not immediately responded to my telephone call. I also am waiting for a response to APRA requests I made to with the Martin County Clerk's Office, the Sheriff's Department, and the Prosecutor's Office. I will update this article to include the records as they become available.
Update 9/11/2026
The Martin County Sheriff's Office responded and stated they were able to find no records related to the docket entry. The office directed me to contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
An employee of the Martin County Clerk of the Circuit Court has stated that the docket entry might be a joke. In her response, Julie Fithian stated:
"I looked in to your request and found nothing. There are alot of weird things on the CCS. Such as the case number This case number ends in 005001. This means we would have filed 5000 felony cases in 2004. We only had about 150. The Prosecutors phone number, address and e-mail don't correspond. A Shoals phone number, a Bedford address and a Vincennes e-mail. There is no address for the defendant.
The case was opened in July of 2004 there were no documents filed and no more actrivity so in 2011 someone was doing some cleanup and closed the case. Looks like someone was having fun at Mr Knights expense."
The Martin County Prosecutor's Office nor the prosecuting attorney on the case have responded to my inquiries.
The questions I am asking myself now are:
- Is it ridiculous to assume that Bobby Knight was charged with a violent felony?
- Would someone make a knowingly false docket entry just to have fun at Bobby Knight's expense?
It's very possible that Coach Bobby Knight is once again the victim.