Advertisement

Tim Beckman: 'I will vigorously defend both my reputation and my legal rights'

Illinois has fired head coach Tim Beckman just a week before the season opener, replacing him with OC Bill Cubit on an interim basis. Illinois Insider J Leman has the reaction from Champaign-Urbana, how the firing impacts the 2015 season, and what to expect from the Illini in the wake of the firing
Illinois has fired head coach Tim Beckman just a week before the season opener, replacing him with OC Bill Cubit on an interim basis. Illinois Insider J Leman has the reaction from Champaign-Urbana, how the firing impacts the 2015 season, and what to expect from the Illini in the wake of the firing

Tim Beckman went on the offensive Friday evening to defend his reputation just hours after being fired at the University of Illinois.

Beckman said in a statement to Fox Sports that “the University’s actions today are in violation of the procedures mandated under my employment agreement. As such, I will vigorously defend both my reputation and my legal rights.”

Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas announced Friday that the university was parting ways with Beckman following an investigation into allegations that he was mentally, physically and verbally abusing players.

“The health and well-being of our student athletes is of paramount importance to me,” Beckman said. “And any statement made to the contrary is utterly false.”

The investigation into allegations against Beckman was opened after former offensive lineman Simon Cvijanovic took to Twitter to vent his concerns about abuse he suffered because of Beckman.

According to Cvijanovic, Beckman "uninvited" him from the team's end-of-the-year banquet after the starting left tackle missed the final four games of the year after suffering the labrum tear. Beckman wanted Cvijanovic to play through the season-ending injury.

Other players told CNN that Beckman was physically rough with players and verbally abusive.

A statement by the Illinois athletic department confirmed those allegations.

During a preliminary briefing from the external reviewers, Thomas said he learned of efforts to deter injury reporting and influence medical decisions that pressured players to avoid or postpone medical treatment and continue playing despite injuries. He also said in some instances student-athletes were treated inappropriately with respect to whether they could remain on scholarship during the spring semester of their senior year if they weren’t on the team.

However, Beckman took issue with the fact that he was fired before the investigation had been completed.

”The fact that the university did not even complete its investigation in this matter is evidence that the entire process was nothing more than a rush to judgment," Beckman said, "and confirms the University’s abject bad faith.”

Illinois said Beckman violated the terms of his contract and there it would not pay the 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.

For more Illinois news, visit OrangeandBlueNews.com.

-----

Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook