Ex-Illini coach Beckman working at No. 22 UNC as volunteer

FILE - In this Dec. 26, 2014, file photo, former University of Illinois head coach Tim Beckman watches from the sidelines during an NCAA college football game in Dallas. Former Illinois coach Beckman is working as a volunteer assistant at No. 22 North Carolina. UNC team spokesman Kevin Best said Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, in an email to The Associated Press that Beckman was working as a defensive coach. Illinois fired Beckman a week before the 2015 opener after a law firm hired by the university concluded he interfered in player medical decisions and pressured players to play through injuries. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Former Illinois coach Tim Beckman is working as a volunteer assistant with No. 22 North Carolina’s defense.

UNC team spokesman Kevin Best said Wednesday in an email to The Associated Press that Beckman can scout and evaluate film. He can interact with players but cannot instruct them as a coach.

Illinois fired Beckman shortly before the 2015 opener after a law firm hired by the university concluded he interfered in player medical decisions and pressured players to play through injuries. Beckman denied the accusations and said he was considering legal steps to defend himself before receiving a $250,000 settlement from the school.

Beckman and UNC coach Larry Fedora were assistants at Oklahoma State in 2007.

The News-Gazette of Champaign, Illinois first reported Beckman’s role.

UNC visits Illinois on Sept. 10.

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