Nov. 09--Nothing about watching Illinois interim chancellor Barbara Wilson conduct a news conference Monday morning to address the firing of athletic director Mike Thomas filled Illini fans with pride or confidence.
Instead of using the forum to make a strong statement about what Illinois athletics want to be under the next regime, Wilson offered a wishy-washy reason as the biggest impetus for change.
"There have been distractions and it's time for us to move forward,'' Wilson said.
Nobody who has been paying attention to Illinois athletics since former Illini player Simon Cvijanovic blew the lid off Tim Beckman's program last spring with allegations of mistreatment disputes that. It's time. It's past time, honestly. The report the university released Monday supports Cvijanovic's main contention that Beckman acted dangerously oblivious to injuries and shirked his responsibilities as a leader of young men. One troubling account describes Beckman asking a player who suffered a spinal injury to move his neck to look at him; another depicts a coach who pushed a player disoriented by a big hit to keep playing. The passages are cringe-worthy.
Beckman paid for such lapses of judgment with his job when Illinois fired him in August one week before the season-opener.
Thomas, of course, hired Beckman. More than anything, that's why Wilson was speaking behind a lectern Monday morning announcing his ouster, a point she failed to drive home. To say he did a "good job'' in this context was tone-deaf. To cite distractions as the main reason for firing Thomas inaccurately blamed the role of fans and media in this process and missed an opportunity to begin re-establishing an athletic department identity.
What Wilson should have said is simple: A comprehensive report illustrated that the Illinois football program too often put player safety at risk. We at Illinois find that unacceptable in this day and age -- anytime, really -- and those most responsible for allowing that to happen will be held accountable. That includes AD Mike Thomas, who hired the football coach who created an intolerable culture. This underscores that Illinois athletics remains committed to establishing a healthy environment conducive to developing student-athletes and, of course, winning.
Alas, Wilson hemmed and hawed, talking about things that really aren't important in the future, reminding everybody why Illinois athletics are in the state they're in.
Cry not for Thomas. He received a $2.5 million buyout, which might explain why he was so professional when Wilson broke the news to him. He showed a penchant for raising funds that universities appreciate. He likely will lead another athletic department somewhere -- but it was time for him to leave Champaign.
Actually, the ideal time was two months ago when they fired Beckman. Now it puts Illinois in the tricky spot of searching for an AD and a football coach simultaneously. Some believe that timetable could favor interim coach Bill Cubit, a fine ambassador, but does bringing back Beckman's top assistant illustrate the type of total cleansing Wilson described? Illinois might be better served conducting a national search to find a football coach who exudes everything the university wants its athletic department to represent.
Once the Illini figure out what that is clearly enough to articulate it.
dhaugh@tribpub.com
