Neil Reed with A.J. Guyton.
From the files of Tom Crean trying to rebuild Indiana after the late Knight/Brand/Davis/Sampson years:
Current Indiana coach Tom Crean called Reed “part of the Indiana family.”
“It’s just hard to comprehend,” Crean said. “He has two young children, a wife and he was just starting to make his way in coaching.
“I’ve only spoken to him a couple of times since I took over here. The first, I was in San Antonio (at the Final Four) right after I got the job and I ran into his dad. He said to give Neil a call, so I did. I told him obviously I wasn’t here when everything transpired and he was always welcome at Indiana.
“About a year later, he sent me his coaching manual — his coaching philosophy. He was just getting started in coaching and I was really honored that he thought enough of me to do that.
“I didn’t know him very well but he’s a part of the Indiana family. Obviously, his time here didn’t end the way he wanted it to, but he was still a part of this family. It’s just so sad.’”
It’s good to hear that Reed had some contact with Indiana basketball after all that happened. His treatment by Indiana fans was shameful (and would have been much worse today, given fans’ access to social media).
Former interim Indiana coach Dan Dakich had this to say, “Neil Reed put himself at risk for what he thought was right – something “Great Leaders” like Paterno and Tressel failed miserably at doing.”
Alas, the deniers, name-callers and the unkind still don’t want to hear it when it comes to Reed:
Reed was not choked; stop perpetuating the myth RT @BFeldmanCBS: My column on the Neil Reed I knew:cbsprt.co/QMJal3
— Tibor Banyai (@tibor75) July 27, 2012
That’s a shame #BestSeinfeldVoice RT @MikeMooch: Neil Reed of famous Bobby Knight choking incident dies from massive grabber. Wow
— John Adams (@jadamz8) July 27, 2012
Huh Neil Reed former crybaby died.Does anybody have Bob Knight’s whereabouts for yesterday.
— Mike Folz (@FolzMike) July 27, 2012
Not sure what to make of this one:
Hahahahaha ! Just heard that God finished what Bobby Knight couldn’t. RIP Neil Reed
— Gregory A Fletcher (@greglovestristy) July 27, 2012
And the tacky:
The most hated player (had Bob Knight fired) in IU bball history, Neil Reed, died last night. Cause of death: choked to death.BOOM Too soon?
— Brian Swan (@brianswan3) July 27, 2012
Knight should say a kind public word, though we aren’t holding our breath.
July 27, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Although Reed was often regarded as a “crybaby” (or other less mentionable names) we tend to forget that he had already been through two years under Knight before this incident happened. Why does that matter? Simply put, he had obviously seen the temper that the beloved coach displayed at many games and practices. Yet, the choking was above and beyond the call of duty. Give Reed a break because he endured more than what 20 year old should have been forced to endure, short of military duty! Let him rest folks.
July 27, 2012 at 4:17 pm
Indeed…