INDIANAPOLIS -- Bob Knight wants his personnel files at Indiana University made public and said in an affidavit filed Wednesday that he would like to know more about the discussions that led to his firing as basketball coach last year.

"I am as interested as anyone in discovering the exact conversations held between Myles Brand and the trustees of Indiana University," Knight said in the affidavit.

The document was filed as part of a class-action lawsuit claiming the university violated open meetings law when it fired the Hall of Fame coach. Knight now coaches at Texas Tech.

In the affidavit, Knight also contends Brand, the university's president, was eager to get rid of him. Knight described a discussion he had with Brand on May 14, 2000, in which the president told the coach he would receive a three-game suspension for choking a former player.

"I suggested to him that a three-game suspension seemed unreasonable, and his entire demeanor changed," Knight said in the affidavit. '"Are you going to resign then?' he asked eagerly. He seemed disappointed when I said that I would not."

The overall theme of Knight's affidavit is that the allegations of inappropriate behavior leveled against him by the university were false and that Brand wanted the coach to leave.

Though a judge in the case has ruled that it was Brand's right as president to fire Knight, the coach said his contract never gave the president that authority, and if it had, he never would have agreed.

"This challenges and contradicts IU's assertion that Brand had sole authority to fire him," said attorney Roy Graham, who is representing 46 plaintiffs in the suit against the school. "He's basically saying, 'I wouldn't have signed the contract."'

University spokeswoman Susan Dillman said the school found nothing new in Knight's affidavit.

"We do disagree with his allegation and his conclusions with regard to his dismissal. However, this is before the courts and so there's not a lot more we can say," Dillman said.

Knight was not available for comment Wednesday. The Texas Tech athletic department said Knight was traveling Wednesday. Messages were left for Knight at Texas Tech's athletic department and for his attorney, Russell Yates.

Getting Knight to submit the affidavit was a potential boon for plaintiffs in the open meetings lawsuit. Filed by a group of alumni and fans, the suit claims that Indiana trustees broke the state's open meetings law the day before Knight was fired.

The affidavit could also help an open records lawsuit filed against Indiana by The Indianapolis Star, which seeks access to Knight's personnel file.

Brand met with trustees in small groups on Sept. 9, 2000, and announced Knight's firing the next day, saying Knight had violated a "zero-tolerance" behavior policy. The university contends the Sept. 9 meetings did not trigger the open meetings law because fewer than half of the nine trustees attended any one meeting with Brand.

"This is a public-interest lawsuit," Graham said. "They should just admit what they did and move on."

Knight rejects claims that he verbally abused a female university official and failed to meet a number of required speaking engagements. He said two high-ranking IU officials were unable to explain the concept of the "zero tolerance" policy.