Tim Beckman and Illinois Football draw new accusations of mistreatment

Things are getting worse for Illinois Football seemingly by the hour. Last night, two Chicago Tribune articles were published that detailed other accusations of mistreatment by Tim Beckman and the coaching staff. The stories include information on the struggles of former Illini defensive back Nick North as well as a past lawsuit filed against Beckman.

Nick North

North's story started to pick up some momentum late Tuesday afternoon after he called Beckman the "worst coach [he] ever met." Shannon Ryan of the Chicago Tribune provided some more details by speaking with North's father about the situation. Here's an excerpt from her story (click here for the full article):

The family of former defensive back Nick North on Tuesday said he was "harassed" by Beckman, who tried to pressure North into signing a release from his scholarship. North, who had been recruited by previous coach Ron Zook, declined to sign the release and graduated in December from Illinois.

A team spokesman has also stated that the university chancellor's office will conduct their own review of the accusations independently from the athletic department. NCPA president Ramogi Huma requested such action on Tuesday morning.

Toledo Lawsuit

Jared Hopkins of the Chicago Tribune wrote about a past lawsuit involving Tim Beckman and former Toledo offensive lineman Kyle Cameron (click here for the full article):

According to records, the July 12, 2011, "O-Line Challenge" required linemen — not wearing helmets — to run and jump off the backs of other linemen, who were on their hands and knees, and dunk a football over the crossbar of the goal post. While trying to dunk the football, Cameron allegedly fell and hit his head on the ground, possibly after also hitting it on the goal post, and was concussed.

The lawsuit was originally dismissed and the ruling was upheld in an appeals court. However, the case could still potentially be heard by the Supreme Court of Ohio as Cameron's attorney petitioned to do so in January.

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