Emma: Illinois Abuse Allegations Highlight Another Major Flaw In NCAA Model
By Chris Emma--
ROSEMONT, Ill. (CBS) -- With his embattled athletic department facing significant allegations of mistreatment in the football and women's basketball programs, Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas left the Big Ten's meetings a day before his counterparts met with reporters Tuesday.
Thomas wasn't available to discuss why a now-former women's basketball assistant, Mike Divilbiss, allegedly threatened scholarships and created a division with racism, as the Daily Illini first reported, or how football coach Tim Beckman has been accused of abuse in his program.
One former Fighting Illini athlete left waiting for answers from Thomas, too, is Simon Cvijanovic, the four-year football letterman who brought forth such accusations in a Twitter rant last week.
Cvijanovic's tweets came in a planned, calculated attempt to draw publicity to an issue many college athletes struggle with.
"I'd come to find that I had no voice," Cvijanvoic said in an exclusive interview. "There was nobody that could help me."
Coincidentally, a potential ally to Cvijanonvic and college athletes is the athletic director of Illinois' rival, Northwestern's Jim Phillips, who serves as chairman of the newly formed Division I Council.
In Phillips, the Division I Council found a reasonable voice known for listening. He has made an important attempt to give athletes a say in the NCAA's hierarchy. The council is the first of its kind, with 32 athletes serving on the advisory committee and working with Phillips.
"The voice of the student-athlete is as strong as it's ever been in the history of college athletics," Phillips said Tuesday.
When asked specifically about Cvijanvoic and Illinois' investigation, Phillips -- who is an Illinois alum -- declined to discuss specifics. However, issues like this and more will be brought directly to Phillips in council meetings.
While Phillips stands strong in believing that athletes have a voice in important issues, Cvijanovic exposed how there are flaws. He alleged that Beckman had held guaranteed four-year scholarships over players' heads and forced several out of the program.
A three-year starter and key player on the offensive line, Cvijanovic spoke out in personal frustration over mistreatment of injuries. He said a meniscus tear was classified by team medical staff to be "no big deal." Each accusation was placed at the feet of Beckman.
"It's really sickening that our dreams and our destiny is in the hands of a football coach," Cvijanovic said.
Following his tweets, Cvijanovic joined the National College Players Association movement to unionize college athletics. This hits close to home for Phillips, who saw former Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter bring a union vote to Evanston, with the appeal at the National Labor Relations Board still awaiting results.
While the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is aimed to give athletes a say, there are clear flaws. I asked Rutgers athletic director Julie Hermann -- who assumed her position after abuse by former basketball coach Mike Rice led to change in athletic directors -- how the typical college athlete would voice a problem to the NCAA level.
"That's a good question," Hermann said after a momentary pause.
It's also a problem that needs a solution sooner than later.
Later, Hermann said she operates with an open-door policy and that SAAC is constructed to review such important issues athletes face. However, issues from all athletes are clearly not being voiced.
Multiple parents of Illinois women's basketball players filed letters to Chancellor Phyllis Wise, alleging a culture of verbal and emotional abuse. Cvijanovic spoke of his injuries being mistreated, while speaking on behalf of former teammates being pressured to maintain their scholarships.
"What I want to work is some kind of system of checks and balances," Cvijanovic said. "There is none right now."
The leadership of Phillips is an important piece of implementing such a system that Cvijanovic desires, though it's just a small, desolate island amid an ocean. Meanwhile, Phillips and many of his Big Ten counterparts don't believe a union serves as the correct answer.
A massive operation that's nearing $1 billion in annual revenue, the NCAA must answer to its athletes in a better manner, because the middle ground between Cvijanovic and Phillips must be reached. Those are significant issues likely to be resolved in the future.
Until then, there are even more urgent questions that Illinois athletic director Thomas must answer.
Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.
