The university says it will protect freshman Kent Harvey from abusive fans.(AP)

If Kent Harvey wants to remain a student at Indiana, the university will ensure his safety, spokesman Christopher Simpson said. He would not specify what steps would be taken except that campus police would investigate any threats.

Harvey and his two brothers have been threatened by e-mail and telephone since their confrontation Thursday with the basketball coach, their stepfather, Mark Shaw, said.

"You have a situation here where a young man found himself at the wrong place at the wrong time and he got caught up in a national media frenzy that was not his responsibility," Simpson said.

"For anybody to blame him for the problems of coach Knight is inaccurate and it's reprehensible. He deserves to have a productive career at IU just as any of our other students."

IU officials said Harvey's complaint wasn't the only reason Knight was fired Sunday. Brand called Knight "defiant and hostile" and said the coach had shown a "continued unwillingness" to work within guidelines of the athletic department.

Knight, already in trouble for a history of misconduct, had been under a "zero-tolerance" policy that bars inappropriate physical contact with students.

Shaw said all he and his stepsons wanted was an apology, Shaw said.

Knight apparently tried to apologize, Shaw told the Herald-Times of Bloomington. Shaw said he was contacted Saturday by Knight's friend, Larry Rink, a Bloomington physician who said the coach wanted to apologize.

Shaw drafted a statement of apology and faxed it to Rink on Sunday morning -- one hour after Knight was fired, the newspaper reported. The statement called for Knight to take responsibility for the confrontation and to discourage criticism of Harvey and other witnesses.

Harvey could not be reached for comment late Sunday. A message on his dorm room phone said his voice mailbox was full.

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