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Bret Bielema says on-field taunt of South Carolina wasn’t about substitutions
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Bret Bielema and Shane Beamer had an interaction during the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl that had social media buzzing. After some frustration from Beamer over Bielema’s defensive substation strategy, the South Carolina coach reached a boiling point when Bielema made a gesture toward the South Carolina sideline during the 3rd quarter.
While Bielema was checking on an injured Illinois defender, the coach made what appeared to be the official substitution sign toward Beamer. Beamer was then seen yelling at the coach and had to be held back from confronting Bielema.
However, after the game, Bielema said that the situation was taken out of context. The coach insisted that his gesture had nothing to do with substitutions and was not a taunt. Bielema instead said he was giving the “t-bar” sign which is used on kickoffs to let the team know the ball will not be returned.
The head coach added that while it’s not illegal to return after giving the “t-bar” sign, he had never seen it done before until South Carolina threw up the sign and still returned the previous kickoff.
“He thought I did it at him, I did it at the whole damn sideline,” said Bielema. “I wasn’t doing it personally to him, I just wanted them to understand that I know what just happened. There’s nothing illegal, I just have never seen it done at any level of football college or pro.”
Bielema was not penalized for taunting and his Illini would go on to win the game 21-17. It was the Illini’s 1st bowl win in over a decade and the 2024 season is the first the Illini have reached double-digit wins since 2001.
For his part, Beamer referred to Bielema’s actions as “Bush League,” and said the coach’s move was something he’d “never seen” in college football.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
