The University of Illinois fired football coach Tim Beckman Friday for mishandling athlete injuries, including instances when he encouraged hurt players to avoid medical treatment in order to keep playing.
In an unusually frank statement, the university said it dismissed Beckman after receiving the preliminary results of an investigation that showed efforts to deter injury reporting. The early findings also suggest that student-athletes were treated inappropriately with respect to whether they could remain on scholarship during the spring semester of their senior year, according to the university.
"The preliminary information external reviewers shared with me does not reflect our values or our commitment to the welfare of our student-athletes, and I've chosen to act accordingly," Thomas said in a statement. "During the review, we have asked people not to rush to judgment, but I now have enough information to make this decision in assessing the status and direction of the football program."
The decision comes at an unfortunate time for the program, as the Illini are set to open their season next week.
Bill Cubit, who joined the Illini coaching staff as offensive coordinator in 2013, has been named interim head coach for the 2015 season.
Thomas said he has informed the team of Beckman's firing.
The university's findings are in keeping with a recent Tribune investigation that found Beckman discouraged players from resting if injured. The Tribune reached out to every player he has coached at U. of I., who painted a portrait of Beckman as a gruff, confrontational and verbally abusive leader.
The university did not release the investigative report, which officials say has not been finalized. The outside law firm tapped to handle the investigation has interviewed more than 90 people so far and reviewed more than 200,000 documents. It has examined a significant amount of practice and game video from Beckman's three seasons as head coach, according to a release from the university.
Thomas called the findings "unsettling" and said they do not reflect the athletic department's culture.
"I expect my coaches to protect players and foster their success on and off the field," he said.
Beckman leaves the Urbana-Champaign campus with a lackluster 12-25 record. He will not receive the $3.1 million remaining on the last two years of his original five-year contract or the $743,000 called for if his contract had been bought out, the university said.
The dismissal is the latest university headline after a summer of administrative departures, scandal and lawsuits over alleged student-athlete mistreatment.
Earlier this week, Provost Ilesanmi Adesida announced his resignation following the recent disclosure that private email accounts were used in an apparent attempt to circumvent state public records law. The emails showed that, beginning in 2014, Chancellor Phyllis Wise, Adesida and others used personal accounts to avoid public scrutiny concerning controversial university decisions.
Wise resigned Aug. 6, one day before about 1,100 pages of emails became public.
The university also is dealing with a $10 million federal lawsuit that alleges the women's basketball program discriminates against black players. The suit, filed last month by seven former players, alleges that coaches deliberately wanted to decrease the number of African-American players on the team. In addition, the complaint states, coaches held segregated practices, prohibited white players from rooming with black players and described black players as "ghetto."
Outside investigators hired by the university found no wrongdoing on the part of the team's coaches or athletic direct Mike Thomas in regards to the basketball program.
A former women's soccer player also filed a lawsuit in June contending the school and its athletic department mishandled her concussion.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...n-fired-illinois-football-20150828-story.html
In an unusually frank statement, the university said it dismissed Beckman after receiving the preliminary results of an investigation that showed efforts to deter injury reporting. The early findings also suggest that student-athletes were treated inappropriately with respect to whether they could remain on scholarship during the spring semester of their senior year, according to the university.
"The preliminary information external reviewers shared with me does not reflect our values or our commitment to the welfare of our student-athletes, and I've chosen to act accordingly," Thomas said in a statement. "During the review, we have asked people not to rush to judgment, but I now have enough information to make this decision in assessing the status and direction of the football program."
The decision comes at an unfortunate time for the program, as the Illini are set to open their season next week.
Bill Cubit, who joined the Illini coaching staff as offensive coordinator in 2013, has been named interim head coach for the 2015 season.
Thomas said he has informed the team of Beckman's firing.
The university's findings are in keeping with a recent Tribune investigation that found Beckman discouraged players from resting if injured. The Tribune reached out to every player he has coached at U. of I., who painted a portrait of Beckman as a gruff, confrontational and verbally abusive leader.
The university did not release the investigative report, which officials say has not been finalized. The outside law firm tapped to handle the investigation has interviewed more than 90 people so far and reviewed more than 200,000 documents. It has examined a significant amount of practice and game video from Beckman's three seasons as head coach, according to a release from the university.
Thomas called the findings "unsettling" and said they do not reflect the athletic department's culture.
"I expect my coaches to protect players and foster their success on and off the field," he said.
Beckman leaves the Urbana-Champaign campus with a lackluster 12-25 record. He will not receive the $3.1 million remaining on the last two years of his original five-year contract or the $743,000 called for if his contract had been bought out, the university said.
The dismissal is the latest university headline after a summer of administrative departures, scandal and lawsuits over alleged student-athlete mistreatment.
Earlier this week, Provost Ilesanmi Adesida announced his resignation following the recent disclosure that private email accounts were used in an apparent attempt to circumvent state public records law. The emails showed that, beginning in 2014, Chancellor Phyllis Wise, Adesida and others used personal accounts to avoid public scrutiny concerning controversial university decisions.
Wise resigned Aug. 6, one day before about 1,100 pages of emails became public.
The university also is dealing with a $10 million federal lawsuit that alleges the women's basketball program discriminates against black players. The suit, filed last month by seven former players, alleges that coaches deliberately wanted to decrease the number of African-American players on the team. In addition, the complaint states, coaches held segregated practices, prohibited white players from rooming with black players and described black players as "ghetto."
Outside investigators hired by the university found no wrongdoing on the part of the team's coaches or athletic direct Mike Thomas in regards to the basketball program.
A former women's soccer player also filed a lawsuit in June contending the school and its athletic department mishandled her concussion.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...n-fired-illinois-football-20150828-story.html
