Bobby Knight Appears Ready to Endorse Donald Trump

Lots of Donald Trump sports content to cover today, so let's get down to brass tacks. It appears Trump has secured the endorsement of inveterate crank and Indiana basketball legend Bobby Knight. The former Hoosiers coach is set to "join" Trump onstage on Wednesday at a rally in Indianapolis before the May 3 Indiana primary. Trump hinted at the possibility earlier, and the seeds may have been planted as early as last September when Trump received a conveniently timed phone call from Knight while a reporter with the New York Times was present:

"It was early September when we met for the first time in his 26th-floor office in Trump Tower. When I walked in, Trump had the legendary college basketball coach Bobby Knight paying homage to him over speaker­phone. Knight, who had never met Trump, apparently called him out of the blue to offer his support. I was slightly dubious about how 'out of the blue' this really was, given how perfectly it was timed to my arrival, but Knight delivered a stirring tribute regardless. 'No one has accomplished more than Mr. Trump has,' Knight raved after Trump informed him that a reporter was in the room. Trump nodded and motioned to the ­phone and made sure I had my recorder running. 'What a great honor, man,' Trump said. 'I will talk to you soon, and I won't forget that you called. Thanks, Bobby.'"

Trump securing the approval of a 75-year-old white man from middle America with a history of, well, let's call it anger issues is not exactly Villanova over Georgetown in '85. It's more like picking the 1975 Hoosiers over the field. It was similarly unsurprising when he was joined by Paul O'Neill in Cincinnati, and Rex Ryan in Buffalo.

Continuing his strategy of warming to the electorate via regional sports celebrities, Trump stuck up for his good friend Tom Brady and Massachusetts this morning when he commented on the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit's decision to reinstate Brady's four-game suspension for his role in Deflategate. Speaking to a crowd in Rhode Island the day before the Ocean State's primary, Trump told the NFL to "leave Tom Brady alone," which is just precious.

Trump starts his rally, less than an hour away from Gillette Stadium, in Warwick, RI saying: "Leave Tom Brady alone" https://t.co/rIyEkceDUq
— Chris Donovan (@chrisdonovan) April 25, 2016

Thanks to our despicable Senate's refusal to do its job and confirm President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, we now have the real possibility of Donald Trump appointing a pro-Brady Justice in preparation for Tom Brady's eventual appeal, at which point America will truly be great once again.