Fedora hires fired IL coach

Former Illinois coach Tim Beckman will join the North Carolina football staff as a volunteer assistant, as confirmed by a UNC football official on Wednesday. UNC team spokesman Kevin Best said Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, in an email to The Associated Press that Beckman was working as a defensive coach.

IL fired Beckman almost one year ago after a university investigation concluded that Beckman made efforts “to deter injury reporting” and pressured injured players to “continue playing despite injuries”.

About a year after being fired by IL following a player mistreatment scandal, Tim Beckman has returned to the coaching ranks. At the time, athletic director Mike Thomas stated that Beckman was terminated “based on the health and well-being of our student-athletes” and that “the findings don’t reflect the culture we are building with IL athletics”. Beckman’s responsibility is to scout and watch film for North Carolina, the Charlotte Observer reported.

North Carolina plays at IL on September 10, but it’s not yet clear if Beckman will accompany the Tar Heels to Champaign for the game. Foremost among them: why work with a coach in any capacity who was found to have mistreated injured players?

Larry Fedora and Mike Gundy coach together during the 2007 season.

IL finished sixth in the Big Ten West Division last season with a 2-6 record (5-7 overall). Former Illinois coach Beckman is working as a volunteer assistant at No. 22 North Carolina.