Former IU basketball coach Bob Knight has been investigated by the FBI for an incident that took place during his visit to a U.S. spy agency in 2015, a story published by the Washington Post revealed on Friday, July 7.
On July 10, 2015, Knight was invited to speak at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It was there that Knight was accused of inappropriately touching four women who worked at the spy agency, the report said.
These allegations against Knight brought on criminal investigations by the U.S. Army and FBI, according to the report. In July of 2016, the investigation ended soon after the FBI met with Knight at his home in Bozeman, Montana. Knight denied any wrongdoing to the FBI.
The first accusation came from a woman who drove Knight from Union Station in Washington DC to the NGA’s main complex in Springfield, Virginia. She claimed the former coach touched her shoulder and commented on her legs from the back seat, according to the Washington Post.
A second woman claimed to have been inappropriately greeted by Knight at the NGA headquarters. In the alleged incident, Knight put his hands on each side of the woman and lifted her up off the ground, the report said.
Prior to his speech at the William Allder Auditorium, another woman alleged that Knight put his arm around her shoulders and groped her on the buttocks, according to the report. After his speech, Knight met with employees who were seeking autographs and allegedly greeted another woman with a smack on the buttocks.
After the NGA staff notified the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the case was handed over to the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command who began to interview the four women and several witnesses. The case was then turned over to the FBI in August of 2015, the report said.
The case was then reportedly presented to the U.S. Attorney Dana Boente in April 2016 for a final decision after it was decided the evidence in the case wouldn’t be enough. Boente instructed the FBI to interview Knight to see if he could confess, according to the Washington Post.
This was the only time Knight had been interviewed on this matter and he had also been unaware he was under investigation according to his attorney James Voyles, according to the report. Federal authorities closed the case soon after the FBI’s meeting with Knight in July of 2016.
Austin Ghirardelli
