Leatherneck Nation

An Illini player (Simon Cvijanovic) has been tweeting about problems at U of I regarding player health/safety...players being pushed and humiliated for getting injured, among other things.

His twitter account is here: https://twitter.com/IlliniSi

And there's a good summary of tweets and discussion over on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/comments/3 ... er/cr4wig2

Sounds like media is already starting to run with it and people are speculating it'll lead to serious investigations by the NCAA...possibly even legal ramifications.

Also occasionally mentioned in the tweets is Bill Cubit, OC at U of I (and at one point, in the running for Western's HC position that eventually went to Coach Nielson).

EDIT: from ESPN...Ex-Illinois player blasts Tim Beckman, says he was forced to play hurt

I have been thinking about this issue. His athletic-related dilemma really strikes at the heart of what is wrong with our entire system of health care in this country. People are just not educated about basics of health and fitness. They put too much trust in someone else to fix their problems. Obviously, some things in life will need attention from the real medical professionals but we as human beings should always know what makes our bodies tick well and when too much is too much, etc. Coaches need to know that all bodies are not the same.

IMO, ALL student-athletes should be required to pass a basic Personal Trainer Certification course before end of first academic year. Athletic departments should pay for all course materials and exam. This would not only provide the student-athlete with a very useful depth of knowledge about their training but also instill a feeling of trust between them and the coach/Athletic Department.