Former Illinois head coach Tim Beckman stepped down as a volunteer coach at North Carolina on Thursday, after a day of widespread criticism of Tar Heels coach Larry Fedora’s decision to bring him to Chapel Hill.
Tim Beckman steps down as UNC volunteer assistant, not wanting to be a ‘distraction’
The former Illinois coach joining the Tar Heels was met with scrutiny.
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Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
In a statement, Beckman said that he “(did) not wish to be a further distraction to the team or University.”
The damage, though, may already be done. Beckman’s statement was followed by ones from Fedora, athletic director Bubba Cunningham and chancellor Carol Folt, who wrote that she was “disappointed” by Beckman’s hiring — and that she learned of it only on Wednesday, after the revelation that Beckman was on Fedora’s staff sparked national criticism.
“When I first learned yesterday that Coach Larry Fedora had invited former Illinois head coach Tim Beckman to serve as a volunteer with the football program, I was surprised and disappointed. The decision for Mr. Beckman to withdraw from his volunteer position was the right thing to do, and moving forward I don’t expect this situation to recur. I continue to put a great deal of trust in Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham and Coach Fedora to educate and develop our student-athletes and to ensure we meet the high standards we all expect at Carolina.”
Beckman was fired by Illinois in August 2015 after many ultimately dumb things and the troubling findings of an investigation into his treatment of players, which held that Beckman routinely harassed and pressured injured players and endangered some with substandard practices of care.
News of his addition to the Tar Heels’ staff dominated Wednesday’s press availability with Fedora, who spent nearly the first five minutes of a meeting with media answering questions about Beckman. Fedora said Wednesday that he was “very comfortable” with bringing Beckman — whom he called a “friend” in both Wednesday remarks and his Thursday statement — to Chapel Hill, and that Beckman was fired by Illinois in part because he “didn’t win enough games.”
Fedora drew criticism far and wide not only for hiring Beckman, but for his dismissal of concerns about his employment.
Fedora has been at North Carolina since 2011. The school has been under investigation by the NCAA for academic fraud for more than five years.
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