Former Illinois Lineman Accuses Coach Of "Abuse And Misuse Of Power"

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Not sure if this is an AJ Barker situation yet out not, so I'll wait for more info to come out before I decide.
 

I support unionization of the players as it is the only way that they will have a seat at the table. Right now its all power at the top.
 

GopherinPhilly said:
I support unionization of the players as it is the only way that they will have a seat at the table. Right now its all power at the top.
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What the players need is an alternate minor league for those that don't think the college value matches what they believe they are worth.
 


Ski U Master said:
What the players need is an alternate minor league for those that don't think the college value matches what they believe they are worth.
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And do you think they'll be treated any differently there? Football is a hard sport on your body. Coaches are paid to win, so they will ask all players to give a little more. It's how the system is setup.
 

Ski U Master said:
What the players need is an alternate minor league for those that don't think the college value matches what they believe they are worth.
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Apples and oranges. Why should any student be forced to sign away all their rights to attend a university. Yes, they get a scholarship, but it isn't charity, those scholarships are paid for out of the revenue the student athletes help produce. It is not unfair or unreasonable that they are allowed to negotiate. It wasn't that long ago that professional athletes were treated similarly with one sided contracts, no free agency, etc.

Universities can't keep crying poor and blaming Title IX when they are paying coaches $6 mil per year and flying 300 people on charters to bowl games, etc. The student athlete will get paid and will be granted protections against long term injury, permanent disability and medical costs associated with play in their sports...just a matter of time now. Too much money for the lawyers to walk away.
 

GopherinPhilly said:
Apples and oranges. Why should any student be forced to sign away all their rights to attend a university. Yes, they get a scholarship, but it isn't charity, those scholarships are paid for out of the revenue the student athletes help produce. It is not unfair or unreasonable that they are allowed to negotiate. It wasn't that long ago that professional athletes were treated similarly with one sided contracts, no free agency, etc.

Universities can't keep crying poor and blaming Title IX when they are paying coaches $6 mil per year and flying 300 people on charters to bowl games, etc. The student athlete will get paid and will be granted protections against long term injury, permanent disability and medical costs associated with play in their sports...just a matter of time now. Too much money for the lawyers to walk away.
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They aren't being forced to do anything, playing football is 100% voluntary.
 

Ski U Master said:
They aren't being forced to do anything, playing football is 100% voluntary.
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They're being begged to play.

There needs to be a salary cap for coaches and if they want more, they should coach at the pro level. The goal should be to set kids up for life after sports and that should be the focus. Lower the stakes of winning and salaries and it's a start.

This kid is airing dirty laundry and even if he is wrong, he is pointing out the problems.




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MaxyJR1 said:
They're being begged to play. There needs to be a salary cap for coaches and if they want more, they should coach at the pro level. The goal should be to set kids up for life after sports and that should be the focus. Lower the stakes of winning and salaries and it's a start. This kid is airing dirty laundry and even if he is wrong, he is pointing out the problems. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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I mostly see his point with the medical stuff. It's one thing to ask guys to destroy their body for the team despite injuries when they are getting paid. A kid with a scholarship should never be asked to permanently injure himself when he has an existing injury. If Illinois is putting the health of their players in unqualified hands that is extremely concerning. But then again, just look at what Hoke allowed his QB to suffer through against the Gophers.
 

Not only like Barker but Durrell Johnson Kulianos, the Iowa receiver who had a similar rant a year or two ago.
 

scher215 said:
I mostly see his point with the medical stuff. It's one thing to ask guys to destroy their body for the team despite injuries when they are getting paid. A kid with a scholarship should never be asked to permanently injure himself when he has an existing injury. If Illinois is putting the health of their players in unqualified hands that is extremely concerning. But then again, just look at what Hoke allowed his QB to suffer through against the Gophers.
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Agreed on Hoke maybe I missed something but I feel like the ad fell on the sword on that one. What was he suppose to do from a box seat. Hoke and staff were on the field.
 

Saw this on an Illinois forum.


I know a lot of us don't care for Beckman. I also don't want to discredit Simon, because its possible that all of the things he's saying are true. That said...

1. Every player corroborating quit or transferred. Not everybody likes the coach, on any team. Two of the four players openly agreeing with his story never saw playing time.

2. This all happened to Simon, but his brother stayed on the team? Seems odd to me. I'd never stay somewhere where my family was treated in such a poor manner, but that could be something unique to each person.

3. Several players are coming out on twitter directly opposing Simon.

4. Simon really hurt his argument with the line about "Starting two Frosh Ts who got destroyed in the bowl game." That seems bitter, and adds a nasty flavor to his argument that may distort it.

I hope Simon is wrong, or exaggerating, or whatever it may be. If something comes out, I'll stand fully behind the players, just like I always do.

__________________
 



Wow, he's mad, he makes some good points too.
 

Former Illinois Lineman Accuses Coach Of "Abuse And Misuse Of Power"

Also need to remember that these are payers likely not recruited by Beckman . You'd hope that you'd be passed this in year four of a program.


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So tired of the "its voluntary" argument. So is all work, activity, etc. But if he was working at Hormel and got his leg crushed in the meat grinder, does he not get compensated even tho, technically, he could have worked somewhere else?
 

GopherinPhilly said:
So tired of the "its voluntary" argument. So is all work, activity, etc. But if he was working at Hormel and got his leg crushed in the meat grinder, does he not get compensated even tho, technically, he could have worked somewhere else?
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Sure, but the Ts and Cs are known when you agree to work at Hormel, just as they are known when you agree to play CFB.


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Ski U Master said:
What the players need is an alternate minor league for those that don't think the college value matches what they believe they are worth.
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Unionizing college football players would quickly destroy the very system that made it successful in the first place. As a longtime season ticket holder (and I know many others who feel the same way); I will endure the likes of Brewball, price increases, and even constant calls from the university asking for me to donate more money. But my season tickets will not be renewed if a union steps in. That is the deal breaker for me.
 

Exactly

Spoofin said:
Sure, but the Ts and Cs are known when you agree to work at Hormel, just as they are known when you agree to play CFB.


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And the guy at Hormel knew the meat grinder was dangerous and he got paid extra to man it. He chose the job and ignored the 11 warning signs to get himself injured just as the guys who play football choose it. You don't come back from an acl injury because the coach tells you to. You wanna play bad enough to rehabilitate through hell.

It's sports...players get criticized for not being tough. How do they get tough? The coach puts them through hell.
Some come out men and some fail and some of those cry and blame someone else.
 

GopherinPhilly said:
So tired of the "its voluntary" argument. So is all work, activity, etc. But if he was working at Hormel and got his leg crushed in the meat grinder, does he not get compensated even tho, technically, he could have worked somewhere else?
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Since we're talking about potential injury to a player as a parallel, the equal compensation is that an injured player may continue to be on scholarship and earn their degree. So yes, they are compensated.
 

scher215 said:
I mostly see his point with the medical stuff. It's one thing to ask guys to destroy their body for the team despite injuries when they are getting paid. A kid with a scholarship should never be asked to permanently injure himself when he has an existing injury. If Illinois is putting the health of their players in unqualified hands that is extremely concerning. But then again, just look at what Hoke allowed his QB to suffer through against the Gophers.
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Yeah if you weed out some of the personal stuff in the tweets there are some very valid points in there especially as it pertains to the medical stuff. And anyone that thinks that is just an Illinois issue is fooling themselves. There is so much money at stake for coaches and so much pressure to win that I have no doubt the line between what is best for the player vs. what is best for the team gets crossed many, many times.
 

The truth with this stuff is that the only incentives a coach has are to win. We hope they're good guys that care about the players but its not a job requirement. What we hope keeps them on the up and up is the backlash and bad PR that comes from player mistreatment but that's really it. These kids make life decisions to go to a school, the NCAA makes it difficult for them to transfer, and coaches can make life miserable for a player if they want to.
 

Rescooter said:
Unionizing college football players would quickly destroy the very system that made it successful in the first place. As a longtime season ticket holder (and I know many others who feel the same way); I will endure the likes of Brewball, price increases, and even constant calls from the university asking for me to donate more money. But my season tickets will not be renewed if a union steps in. That is the deal breaker for me.
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Would you still watch the games via other means? CFB thrives on TV deals as well. The NFLPA hasn't ruined the NFL game (some will argue that would be the commercialism during the game itself).

The view point here is that the very system that CFB is operating under is very corrupt and takes advantage of those who need it in order to be able to remotely have access to a higher level of education. Do some student athlete take advantage of that education? Yes. Do others skip class and only focus on sports? Yes. The fact is the coaches demand a high level of success and some will do whatever it takes in order to reach a championship. Even if the means are at the expense of a Player's health or their education.

If a high school football coach were abusing players verbally or physically and ignoring proper medical procedures, would the parents ignore the situation? I would hope not. This is the same situation just at a much larger scale.
 

Gopherdrummer said:
Would you still watch the games via other means? CFB thrives on TV deals as well. The NFLPA hasn't ruined the NFL game (some will argue that would be the commercialism during the game itself).

The view point here is that the very system that CFB is operating under is very corrupt and takes advantage of those who need it in order to be able to remotely have access to a higher level of education. Do some student athlete take advantage of that education? Yes. Do others skip class and only focus on sports? Yes. The fact is the coaches demand a high level of success and some will do whatever it takes in order to reach a championship. Even if the means are at the expense of a Player's health or their education.

If a high school football coach were abusing players verbally or physically and ignoring proper medical procedures, would the parents ignore the situation? I would hope not. This is the same situation just at a much larger scale.
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Also worth nothing that the players in college are adults, while high school players (except for some seniors) are still minors.
 

oleboy41 said:
The truth with this stuff is that the only incentives a coach has are to win. We hope they're good guys that care about the players but its not a job requirement. What we hope keeps them on the up and up is the backlash and bad PR that comes from player mistreatment but that's really it. These kids make life decisions to go to a school, the NCAA makes it difficult for them to transfer, and coaches can make life miserable for a player if they want to.
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Spot on. Social Media has given players a voice they never had before to go public with bad behavior on the part of coaches but many fans discount it right away because the only guys that are going to say anything are those that have fallen out of favor with a team. Anyone that still needs the team is going to keep their mouth shut so as not to jeopardize their position. Many fans have a hard time acknowledging that side of sports and specifically college athletics but it absolutely exists.
 

Gopherdrummer said:
Would you still watch the games via other means? CFB thrives on TV deals as well. The NFLPA hasn't ruined the NFL game (some will argue that would be the commercialism during the game itself).

The view point here is that the very system that CFB is operating under is very corrupt and takes advantage of those who need it in order to be able to remotely have access to a higher level of education. Do some student athlete take advantage of that education? Yes. Do others skip class and only focus on sports? Yes. The fact is the coaches demand a high level of success and some will do whatever it takes in order to reach a championship. Even if the means are at the expense of a Player's health or their education.

If a high school football coach were abusing players verbally or physically and ignoring proper medical procedures, would the parents ignore the situation? I would hope not. This is the same situation just at a much larger scale.
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I get what you're saying and I do understand both sides. One of the reasons I watch is I still see a pure love of the game; or at the very least most players playing for the coach, team and university. Throw in a union representative who's only motive is to move salaries up under the guise of "safety & fairness", I'm not interested.

If it were to happen, it would be very difficult for me because I put so much into the games and it has become so much a part of my family in the fall. My entertainment dollars would be used elsewhere, but nothing can replace college football. I'd probably view the new unionized football like I do Arena Football. A small diversion from the real thing.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
Also worth nothing that the players in college are adults, while high school players (except for some seniors) are still minors.
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Adults based on legal age. But even the "adults" that attend college as normal students still need a bit of guidance from their parents (perhaps a side effect of helicopter parenting these days). This is usually the first time young adults have been on their own. In the athletics context, some parents may view a coach as a type of mentor - maybe even almost a parental figure in some cases.

Given that these players are attend a school for an education, and happen to also play football for that school, the situation is very similar to that of High School. The difference is a full ride scholarship, NCAA transfer rules, etc. make it a lot more difficult for a player to quit the team and still receive that education. I understand you may disagree that the players care about the education they receive, but that is the central point of the University. Anything that has caused a deviation from that central purpose demonstrates how off base the CFB system has become.
 

Rescooter said:
I get what you're saying and I do understand both sides. One of the reasons I watch is I still see a pure love of the game; or at the very least most players playing for the coach, team and university. Throw in a union representative who's only motive is to move salaries up under the guise of "safety & fairness", I'm not interested.

If it were to happen, it would be very difficult for me because I put so much into the games and it has become so much a part of my family in the fall. My entertainment dollars would be used elsewhere, but nothing can replace college football. I'd probably view the new unionized football like I do Arena Football. A small diversion from the real thing.
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If you are talking about paying players, I don't think that solves the problem. Giving a player a salary does not solve the overwhelming schedules outside of coursework, the lack of oversight on health practices at some universities, etc. What I am saying is that the NCAA was originally created to protect players and regulate the games (because back in the day you could drop kick the ball carrier and not draw a foul). Since then they have lost their way and care about the money. The same goes for some athletic departments.
 

Unregistered User said:
Since we're talking about potential injury to a player as a parallel, the equal compensation is that an injured player may continue to be on scholarship and earn their degree. So yes, they are compensated.
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Not the same. Look at the lifelong damage from head injuries, permanent loss from joint injuries. The hormel employee gets compensated for those, the college football player does not.

Plus the hormel employee has the right to negotiate his salary, his benefits and, if wanted, to collective bargain. Can sue for discrimination, has OSHA to protect his work environment and is protected by dozens of federal, state and local laws. The college football player has the ever vigilant NCAA looking out for him. Not remotely the same.

Doesn't matter what my or your opinion is...this will be decided in the courts. And as I predicted with the last couple cases that the NCAA & Member Institutions got schooled on, these future cases will continue to force them to move towards actually caring about the student athlete and not just their bottom line and the coaches multimillion dollar contracts.
 

Gopherdrummer said:
If you are talking about paying players, I don't think that solves the problem. Giving a player a salary does not solve the overwhelming schedules outside of coursework, the lack of oversight on health practices at some universities, etc. What I am saying is that the NCAA was originally created to protect players and regulate the games (because back in the day you could drop kick the ball carrier and not draw a foul). Since then they have lost their way and care about the money. The same goes for some athletic departments.
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+1
 

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