All that emotion drained Brian Dennehy, who plays the former Indiana University basketball coach in the ESPN movie, "A Season on the Brink," which airs today.

"He was always at such a high pitch," Dennehy said. "If you did it all the way he did it, it would give you a headache in five minutes. I had to find ways of varying the intensity."

What never varied was Knight's penchant for a particular four-letter profanity. Asked why he used it so much, he replied, "It's the most expressive word in the English language."

Such foul talk may be common in locker rooms, practices and games, but it's a touchy subject for cable television. ESPN will air an unedited version, while ESPN2 will bleep the expletives. Advisories cautioning parents about the intense language will air at the start and during commercial breaks.

"I had no problem with it. I've had my profane moments," Dennehy said. "If it was HBO, you could do anything. But it's a little different with ESPN."

What does Knight, now coaching at Texas Tech, think about it?

"He wasn't consulted, and he has no interest in it," said Randy Farley, the school's sports information director.

The movie follows the Hoosiers during the 1985-86 season, in which they lose the Big Ten Conference title to Michigan and are upset by Cleveland State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It's based on John Feinstein's best seller, "A Season on the Brink: A Year With Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers."

Knight spent 29 seasons with the Hoosiers, with 661 victories and three national championships. His post-Indiana University career is referred to in subtitles mentioning how he allegedly choked player Neil Reed in 1997, his firing in 2000 and his new job at Texas Tech.