Illinois tries to stay unified

CHICAGO - Illinois Coach Tim Beckman remains on the defensive after a Chicago Tribune report quoted several former players accusing him of mistreatment and verbal abuse.

The Tribune interviewed more than 50 former players and several cited instances where Beckman lobbed verbal insults and forced players to compete or practice while injured. University of Illinois officials have hired an outside firm to investigate.

Beckman, 50, was asked Thursday to define his philosophy for discipline and motivation.

'We're fathers,” Beckman said Thursday at Big Ten Media Days. 'I think that each one of our coaches would say the same thing. We're in the process of providing avenues for our football players to become better men, become better football players. We want the best. We want a relationship for a lifetime as we talk to them. We want to be able to communicate with one another throughout their lives. So, as a football coach and as being the part of a football program, I think those are very essential parts of leading young men.”

Illinois' current players declined to anything negative about Beckman in The Tribune. Thursday, both guard Ted Karras and linebacker Mason Monheim said they were disappointed in the criticism and stand behind their coach.

'It's disappointing but on the same note, they're going to say what they want to say,” Monheim said. 'All the matters is who we have in our room. A lot of guys didn't want to be involved in the investigation because it could be a distraction. We didn't want that so we stayed together, we came into work every day and we didn't let it affect us.”

When asked whether Beckman was unusually harsh toward his players, Monheim replied, 'It's football. I'm hard on my teammates, and they're hard on me. Coaches are hard on their players. That's how it should be. It's football. It comes with the territory. By no way, shape or form have we been abused or anything like that. We're just ready for a great season.”

Beckman's tenure has been rocky on the field, too. In three years, he's 12-25 as coach, although he did take the Fighting Illini to the Heart of Dallas Bowl last year.

OSU PLAYERS OUT

Four of Ohio State's top players were suspended for the season opener for violating athletic department rules, the school announced.

Junior defensive end Joey Bosa, perhaps the nation's top defender, was the headliner. Other players include sophomore H-back Jalin Marshall, senior receiver Corey Smith and junior H-back Dontre Wilson.

'I think the department has policies that we expect and I 100 percent am fully supportive of it,” Ohio State Urban Meyer said. 'Whether it's a sprained ankle or stuff, you try to create a culture where teams know how to move forward and not concern yourself. When we lost Braxton (Miller) 10 days before the first game, you lose JT (Barrett) a week before the Big Ten Championship game, you push forward. You know, we're pushing forward.”

The defending national champion Buckeyes open the season ranked No. 1 in the USA Today's Coaches Poll.

POWELL RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL

Former Iowa wide receiver Damond Powell was released from a Toledo, Ohio hospital after he was shot in the face during a drive-by shooting last Friday.

Powell, who signed as a free agent with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, continues to recover from his wounds at his Toledo home.

'I think all of us feel very grateful that what's a really bad thing could have been a lot worse, a lot more tragic,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said Thursday. 'Damond is such an unbelievable young man, such a positive, great young person.”

Ferentz said he was called about 9:05 p.m. last Friday about the shooting.

'Those are not good phone calls,” Ferentz said. 'That's the first I've ever experienced of this type, that I've ever been through. We're all so pleased that he's been released and on the right path and he's got a great attitude. That's a big part of recovery for anybody.”

Powell, 22, transferred to Iowa after playing two years in junior college. He caught 31 passes for 608 yards and five touchdowns at Iowa.

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