Illinois Football Coach Tried To Knife Wisconsin In The Back, Looks Very Weak
Bret Bielema looks very weak after it was revealed he tried to knife Wisconsin following a loss last season.
The Badgers beat the Fighting Illini on a bit of a deceptive play that caused major controversy. Nolan Rucci - an offensive lineman - lined up as an eligible receiver wearing number 93 instead of his regular number 66.
Rucci never reported to the ref and nobody caught what was happening before it was too late. Rucci hauled in a TD pass, and Wisconsin won 25-21.
The rules were tweaked after the season to make sure if a player changes his jersey that he must report it clearly to the ref, who will then report it to the opposing team.
Well, Bielema didn't want to wait for a rule change. He tried to drive the knife into Wisconsin in the most cowardly of ways.
Bret Bielema wanted the Big Ten to revoke Wisconsin's win.
"I went as far as I could. I was trying to get it removed," Bielema said during Big Ten Media Days when asked about his reaction to the situation, according to BadgerExtra.com.
"Oh, yeah. Because to me, it was intentional," the Fighting Illini coach further added.
Yes, Bielema went to the Big Ten and *TRIED TO GET THE WIN REVOKED.* If that's not weak, then I don't know what is. Illinois lost. Take it like a man and vow to get better. Don't run to the conference asking to be bailed out.
There is absolutely zero proof the Badgers and head coach Luke Fickell were intending to cheat. What the team did with Rucci's switch was more or less something that lives in the gray area.
It'd be illegal now, but at the time, the refs didn't do anything and it was a bit ambiguous.
Brett Bielema wanted Wisconsin's win over Illinois revoked. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Fickell, to his credit, seemed to find it a bit comical that people are worried about a TD pass that was ultimately meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
He told the media the following:
"Let’s get on the soapbox here. Let’s go ahead and find something else to talk about that's rules-wise as opposed to … the real elephant in the room, right? Let’s avoid the whole scandal and (expletive) that happened in Michigan, but let's put a bigger emphasis on, 'We’ll put a headset in the helmet to alleviate all that stuff, but, damn it, we're going to make sure these numbers and things (are right).' The numbers thing was as unintentional as anything else I've ever done, where something else was pretty intentional, but yet, we make a bigger deal out of this. Yeah, I think it's comical. But I think that's a little bit of our world today. Let's avoid the real issue here and let's make sure we make some corrections otherwise. Let's put a headset in the helmets now, so we can basically say we washed our hands."
Go off, Fickell. Go off. It's honestly shocking to me Bielema went all the way to the Big Ten and begged for the win to be taken away. It's weak. It's very weak, and honestly embarrassing. It's like a little kid who didn't get his way and starts throwing a tantrum.
Wisconsin's gamesmanship was simply a little too good for Illinois in 2023. Don't hate the player. Hate the game, Bielema.
Luke Fickell responded to continued complaining over Wisconsin's win over Illinois in 2023. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
If Wisconsin was crying about a loss demanding the other team's win be revoked, I'd be saying the same thing. You win like a man and you lose like a man. Chest out and chin up. You don't run to the Big Ten crying for a team's win to be revoked. Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com if you agree.