Roiled in allegations of coaches abusing players, the University of Illinois (UI) athletic department launched additional "health and well being" support for student-athletes.
According to ESPN, UI's new changes include hiring personnel to work directly with student-athletes, identifying and reporting potential health risks. The school will also provide training for coaches on student-athlete well being.
UI is currently looking into allegations of abuse on the football and women's basketball teams.
In a series of tweets earlier this month, former Illini offensive lineman Simon Cvijanovic detailed a number of instances in which his coach, Tim Beckman, and other football personnel abused their power. Not long after, the families of UI women's basketball players notified the school of allegations of abuse from head coach Matt Bollant and associate coach Mike Divilbiss, the Daily Illini reported.
The appointed officials UI plans to implement will also be reporting directly to athletic director Mike Thomas, ESPN learned.
"The fact that the recent allegations were first reported to us on social media instead of directly to us shows that in this fast-changing environment, we need to make sure we are providing students and their families even more access to internal support," Thomas said in a statement. "Our program is known for integrity, and we must ensure that our stated commitment to our student-athletes is truly beyond reproach."
Both investigations are ongoing, but the nature of the allegations and how they were seemingly kept a secret troubled Thomas. He also said he wants to encourage student-athletes to voice their concerns directly to him if they so desire.
"We feel our programs support a culture of respect and dignity that meets or exceeds most of our peer institutions," Thomas said. "However, as people have made allegations that show we can do even more, we are exploring these long-term enhancements to ensure we are the best in class for our support of the health and well-being of our student-athletes."
