"If rape is inevitable, relax & enjoy it" - Bobby Knight's controversial quote resurfaces online following NCAA legend's death

Bobby Knight, a Hall of Fame coach and three-time national champion, died this week at the age of 83. Knight was widely regarded as one of the most controversial coaches of all time; however, his results on the sideline can't be denied. Back in 1965, Knight became the youngest coach in the history of Division I basketball when he took over the Army Black Knights.

His best years, of course, came during his time at Indiana, where he led the team to a record 661 victories. The team, which Knight led to the NCAA March Madness tournament 24 times in 29 seasons, was the subject of the famed 'Hoosiers' movie as well.

At the time of his retirement, Knight had amassed a whopping 902-371 record as a coach while also leading the 1984 U.S. men's basketball team to Olympic gold. Despite all of his accomplishments, Knight often found himself at the heart of controversies, one of the most notable being his comments on rape.

During a 1988 interview, Bobby Knight made controversial remarks to Connie Chung of NBC News. Although the comments didn't spark the same level of backlash that they would have today, Knight was heavily criticized for his words, which he said were taken out of context.

In response to a question about how he handled stress decades prior to his death, Knight controversially stated:

”I think if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it.”

Bobby Knight provides context to controversial rape comments

After the backlash regarding his comment, Bobby Knight was quick to issue a clarification on his comments, explaining that he didn't mean rape literally. Speaking in a follow-up interview with the Bloomington Herald shortly after he made the comments, the legendary coach provided context to his words.

(Suggested Reading: Bobby Knight's clear message to critics)

As he stated, anyone who knew him personally knew he vehemently was against the act of rape, as well as crime in all its forms. In addition, he also stated that his comments were about when something forcibly happens to you, not when sexual assault occurs.

“The word rape can be used in several ways. One is in something that has gone out of control or over which you have no control. It obviously was in that context that I was using the word, as I explained in the interview.”

As previously mentioned, the comments sparked widespread controversy and protests on the Indiana campus. A protest that was held on campus included signs that read, "Rape is no game," with Indiana University President Thomas Ehrlich condemning Knights' usage of the word.

For Knight, although the comments earned him considerable criticism and negative press, it didn't stop him from being enshrined in the Hall of Fame. In addition, after his retirement, Bobby Knight was still honored by Indiana in spite of his numerous controversies.