Illini dismiss head football coach Tim Beckman

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Illinois has dismissed head football coach Tim Beckman, the school announced Friday.

Offensive coordinator Bill Cubit will take over as the team's interim head coach a week away from the start of the 2015 season.

Beckman has been the subject of allegations of student-athlete abuse since the spring, when former offensive lineman Simon Cvijanovic took to Twitter and painted his former coach as an abusive bully who demonized injured players, forced players to play hurt and threatened to take players' scholarships away.

The athletics department announced an independent review of the program, and athletics director Mike Thomas cited preliminary results of that review as the reason for Beckman's dismissal.

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"The preliminary information external reviewers shared with me does not reflect our values or our commitment to the welfare of our student-athletes, and I've chosen to act accordingly," Thomas said in the announcement. "During the review, we have asked people not to rush to judgment, but I now have enough information to make this decision in assessing the status and direction of the football program."

From the Illini's release:

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.

"Both of those findings are unsettling violations of University policy and practice and do not reflect the culture that we wish to create in athletic programs for our young people," Thomas said in the announcement. "I expect my coaches to protect players and foster their success on and off the field."

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Beckman amassed a 12-25 record and a 4-20 conference mark in three seasons as head coach in Champaign.

After winning just two games in his first season, Beckman led the Illini to four wins in 2013 and six wins a season ago, reaching the first bowl game of his now-finished tenure.

Thomas will hold a press conference with more details on Beckman's dismissal at 3 p.m.

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