Illinois coach commits violation with smokeless tobacco

Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

Illinois will report a secondary violation to the NCAA and the Big Ten after its coach, Tim Beckman, was caught Saturday afternoon by ESPN cameras using smokeless tobacco on the sidelines during the Illini's game against Wisconsin.

''That's a bad habit of mine,'' Beckman told reporters after the game. ''I apologize for that. I guess it's the stress, but there's no excuse for that and that'll be stopped. It shouldn't have been done.''

On its list of banned substances, the NCAA says of smokeless tobacco:

"The use of tobacco products is prohibited for coaches, game officials and student athletes in all sports during practice and competition. A student-athlete who uses tobacco products during practice or competition is automatically disqualified for the remainder of that practice or game."

Beckman is at least the second Big Ten football coach to earn his university a secondary violation for using smokeless tobacco. In May, one of the 46 such violations Ohio State reported to the NCAA dealt with assistant coach Mike Vrabel using smokeless tobacco on the sidelines during the 2011 season.

This was "noted and reported to Ohio State by a Columbus-area health teacher, and was a secondary violation of NCAA rules against using tobacco during games or practice," wrote The Plain Dealer's Doug Lesmerises on May 17.

In March, the NCAA officially reprimanded two football coaches and the athletic director at Shepherd University, a Division II program in Shepherdstown, W. Va., for using smokeless tobacco during a playoff game against Delta State in December.

Thanks to The Big Lead for the screen grab and GIF.