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Simon Cvijanović Accuses Tim Beckman of Mistreatment in Twitter Rant

The former starting left tackle is not happy with how the Illinois Fighting Illini football players are allegedly being treated by Beckman's coaching staff.

Cvijanović at the 2014 Big Ten Media Days.
Cvijanović at the 2014 Big Ten Media Days.
Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Former Fighting Illini offensive lineman Simon Cvijanović just went on a long Twitter rant about the Illini football coaching staff's treatment of its players.

Cvijanović, who was a starter on the offensive line for four years, criticized the team's head athletic trainer, Toby Harkins, as well as Beckman himself for improperly handling his knee injuries. He also criticized Beckman for not allowing him to travel with the team for the bowl game or attend the senior banquet after Cvijanović left the team midseason.

Cvijanović's younger brother, Peter, is also an offensive lineman who will be on the team this season. During his rant, other Illini jumped into the fray with their own opinions. Former wide receiver Peter Bonahoom, who left the team last season, agreed with Cvijanović's criticism. Current right tackle Christian DiLauro tweeted in support of Beckman, and his comments were retweeted by several Illini players (Dre Brown) and parents (Lynn Dudek).

UPDATE #2-- The Fighting Illini athletic department has released a statement (from Tim Beckman) about Cvijanović's comments:

"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. 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."

~ Tim Beckman

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We'll have as much coverage as possible on this story as it develops. The majority of the relevant tweets can be found below.

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UPDATE #1-- there's more:

UPDATE #3-- More the following morning from Cvijanović and fellow former Illini Jack Cornell:

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