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Bret Bielema aims tongue-in-cheek social media post at Shane Beamer after Cirtus Bowl antics

Ethan Stone

By Ethan Stone

Published:

Bret Bielema and the Illinois Fighting Illini downed Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks 21-17 on Tuesday, but that’s hardly the full story coming out of Orlando.

What caught the attention of the public Tuesday was not solely Illinois’ win over the Gamecocks. It was the brouhaha between the Illini and Gamecocks at the end of the 3rd quarter, spearheaded by both head coaches.

There’s no other way to say it; Beamer completely freaked out on Bielema just before the 4th quarter. As you can see in the video below, Beamer was irate at Bielema making the substitution pose after an Illini player went down on the field. Illinois had been substituting players very late, forcing the Gamecocks to take a timeout. It’s safe to say this pose from Bielema is the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Following the game, Beamer took to social media to question the ethics of it all, mentioning that it isn’t right for his team to get the label of “unethical” with how Illinois played the game. He finished his post with #WillAlwaysDefendOurTeam

Here’s what Bielema said in response:


Bielema also insisted in a later post that he wasn’t aiming the gesture at Beamer specifically, but the entire sideline.

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.