Former Illinois OL tears into coach Tim Beckman on Twitter
Former Illinois offensive lineman Simon Cvijanovic is not happy with the way his career with the football team ended.
Sunday, Cvijanovic, a senior in 2014, lit into Illinois coach Tim Beckman via his Twitter account. He missed the final four games of the season after he was hurt against Ohio State. Before the injury, he was the team's starting left tackle.
In the series of tweets that started Sunday afternoon and continued into the evening, some of which are included below, he said he was "uninvited" from the team's football banquet and that he was treated poorly after the injury.
I stopped playing football because of my physical health. I was asked to push myself past pain until I didn't want to play anymore. #truth
— Simon Cvijanović (@IlliniSi) May 10, 2015
Toby Harkins worked for months as our head trainer and was not a licensed medical professional in the state of Illinois. He was fired.
— Simon Cvijanović (@IlliniSi) May 10, 2015
I met w @coachbeckman this Friday and was kicked out of his office cuz he couldn't answer y I wasn't invited to the senior banquet.
— Simon Cvijanović (@IlliniSi) May 10, 2015
He also claimed Beckman called him a quitter. Sunday evening, Illinois released a statement from Beckman.
“Simon Cvijanovic was a valued member of the University of Illinois football team," Beckman said. "He chose to leave the team during the 2014 regular season and withdrew from the university before the end of the semester. 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. We wish him success in completing his degree, and we wish him the best of success in whatever he pursues after he graduates.”
4 years starting, big ten media day rep, two time game MVP (Cinci'13/Minn'14), and "Simon's a quitter"-@coachbeckman
— Simon Cvijanović (@IlliniSi) May 10, 2015
Why was I uninvited to the senior banquet after leaving the team? I was seeing their doctors.
— Simon Cvijanović (@IlliniSi) May 10, 2015
Why don't my medical records match what happened in meetings with doctors?
— Simon Cvijanović (@IlliniSi) May 10, 2015
My knee had a tear in the meniscus. Takes 6 months to heel if repaired. Ask @drose Instead I was told it was no big deal. Back in two weeks
— Simon Cvijanović (@IlliniSi) May 10, 2015
Cvijanovic also used the rant as an opportunity to rail against the NCAA's structure and advocated for a push for unionization.
You can check out his entire timeline here. He also said Beckman even advocated for a move to right tackle because of his injury and on Sunday evening said he "basically" knew Beckman was a liar. Beckman was the coach at Toledo before he became Illinois' coach in 2012.
I have plenty of currently players texting me to keep going so I'm not gonna stop.
— Simon Cvijanović (@IlliniSi) May 10, 2015
I didn't go to Toledo because Beckman told me yoohoo chocolate drink, their sponsor at the time, has more protein than muscle milk.
— Simon Cvijanović (@IlliniSi) May 11, 2015
Basically because I knew he was a liar.
— Simon Cvijanović (@IlliniSi) May 11, 2015
Illinois finished 6-7 last season after losing the Heart of Dallas Bowl to Louisiana Tech.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
