Smith says he expects the team he’s inherited to compete for a Big Ten Championship. The former Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaners coach said he planned to complete his career at Illinois, after signing a six-year, $21 million contract. "I don't know what better commitment I can show to everyone that we're going to be here for the long haul," he said.
The University of Illinois is facing another season of challenges, with scandals and budget troubles continuing to plague the school's flagship campus in Urbana. Interim University of Illinois Urbana campus chancellor Barbara Wilson talks about the obstacles the University is facing, and how she sees a path forward.
Illinois football coach Tim Beckman was fired for allegedly pushing student-athletes to play while injured. A reporter found that many athletic trainers feel pressure from coaches to get players back on the field before they're ready.
The interim head coach of the Illini football team says he's getting support from all over as he takes on the new role. They'll host Kent State Friday at Memorial Stadium, with kickoff at 8 p.m.
Tim Beckman's firing is just the latest crisis to affect University of Illinois athletics. The university faces lawsuits and allegations of mistreatment in two other sports on the Urbana campus. Murray Sperber teaches in the Cultural Studies of Sport in Education program at U-C Berkley. In this encore report, he tells Illinois Public Media's Scott Cameron that going public with complaints of abuse are often a first step toward changing the culture of big time college sports..
