Tim Beckman considering lawsuit against Illinois

Former football head coach Tim Beckman will likely look to be compensated with a wrongful termination suit against Illinois.

As expected, the saga between Illinois and former football head coach Tim Beckman isn’t over quite yet.

With the season just days away, Illinois’ surprising decision to fire Beckman last week must have come with a serious reason behind it. The University accused Beckman of mistreating injured players, including suggesting they delayed medical treatment to remain on the field.

If true, those accusations are certainly justification for termination, particularly given what the football community has learned about the effects of concussions in recent seasons. However, Beckman isn’t planning on backing down from Illinois without a fight.

Beckman released a statement to the Associated Press on Tuesday strongly suggesting he might sue the University for wrongful termination, via Michal Dwojak of The Daily Illini.

"“The fact that the University did not even complete its investigation in this matter is evidence that this entire process was nothing more than a rush to judgment and confirms the University’s abject bad faith. Furthermore, the University’s actions today are in violation of the procedures mandated under my employment agreement. As such, I will vigorously defend both my reputation and my legal rights.”"

That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as such allegations could be difficult to prove and Beckman will likely be able to drag this out in court over a period of months. Besides his reputation, Beckman stands to gain the $1.8 million he was due this season.

While Beckman’s point that the investigation is not over yet is somewhat valid, there seems to be a lot of smoke here, with multiple former players accusing him of mistreatment over the summer. Illinois also likely would not have fired a coach showing some signs of improvement a week before the season unless it was absolutely sure about the allegations, as the decision will likely torpedo the Fighting Illini’s 2015 campaign.

If Beckman goes ahead with the lawsuit, the school can claim it fired him with cause. Dwojak has details on what that would entail.

"In section 4.2.d. of the contract he signed with the University in 2012, the University can fire Beckman for “any serious act of knowing misconduct by Head Coach.” The listed misconducts include “injuring, abusing, or endangering others, which in the sole reasonable judgment of the University substantially impairs Head Coach’s ability to provide effective leadership.”"

That fits the allegations to a tee, so if the investigation finds more evidence against Beckman he might not have much of an argument. There’s still a long way to go with both the investigation and potential lawsuit, so it’s difficult to judge how this will play out yet.

Meanwhile, the Fighting Illini have to prepare for their season opener against Kent State on Friday. Interim head coach Bill Cubit is denying any knowledge of the situation, but it’s hard to see how the situation won’t hang over the team for much of the 2015 season.

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