Former Illinois offensive lineman Simon Cvijanovic unleashed a series of allegations against the football program and specifically head coach Tim Beckman Sunday, calling for the coach's resignation and detailing what he described as a "hostile and abusive environment."
Among other accusations, Cvijanovic wrote that the program pushes injured athletes to compete, used an unlicensed trainer, and withheld medical information. A sampling from Cvijanovic's Twitter feed:
Cvijanovic made 29 career starts for Illinois, but didn't play the remainder of his senior season after an injury sustained against Ohio State on Nov. 1. He addressed that injury in his social media rant, suggesting he was pressured to play when he shouldn't have been on the field.
Beckman issued a statement but declined an interview request from the Chicago Tribune.
"Simon Cvijanovic was a valued member of the University of Illinois football team. He chose to leave the team during the 2014 regular season and withdrew from the university before the end of the semester," Beckman wrote. "Upon his return for the spring semester, we have continued to support him with medical care, an academic scholarship and academic advising. We cannot make any student accept our support."
Illinois offensive lineman Teddy Karras tweeted in support of Beckman.
In a news conference called Monday afternoon to specifically address Cvijanovic's accusations, UI Athletics Director Mike Thomas indicated Karras wasn't the only player who backed Beckman. Thomas said he would investigate the claims made by Cvijanovic, but addressed the alleged attack in 2013 specifically.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
