Former Indiana Hoosers player Todd Jadlow has written a book about his life experiences and recovery from serious drug problems, but what’s receiving the greatest headlines are the anecdotes he shares about IU’s controversial former coach, Bob Knight.
Jadlow, who played for IU from 1985-1989, calls himself a supporter of Knight and views the former militant coach as a father. In his book, he details some of the abuse Knight put his players through.
WTHR’s Bob Kravitz details some of the alleged abuse in an article about the book. According to Kravitz, Jadlow alleges in his book:
– That Knight punched him in the back of the head with a closed fist during a walkthrough for an NCAA Tournament game against Seton Hall.
– That inside a sideline huddle during a 1989 game against Louisville – the game when Sports Illustrated famously captured a photo of the coach pushing Jadlow back onto the court — Knight cracked a clipboard over Jadlow’s head.
Jadlow also said in the book that an enraged Knight once dug his hands into Jadlow’s sides so hard it left bruises. Additionally, Knight allegedly made a habit of grabbing players by the testicles.
Though Jadlow got it tough from Knight, he says Knight gave Darryl Thomas the hardest time of anyone on the team, and even grabbed him by the neck on a team plane.
The details about Knight will grab headlines, but other information Jadlow shares about his life is equally disturbing. Jadlow describes his cocaine addiction, which included having it on a plate around his home where his child was. He even talked about how he once had 20 kilos of cocaine stored at his home.
In addition to cocaine, Jadlow was addicted to alcohol, and was even busted for DUI four times in six months. Jadlow was the impetus for a headline in 2013 on a news site about a man being arrested for DUI twice in the same day.
Knight had no response to Jadlow’s book when asked for comment. Some of the stories will likely come as no surprise to many, especially since the last Knight story said that the coach once brought a shotgun to practice.
