South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said he'd never seen a coach act the way Bret Bielema did during a confrontation in the Citrus Bowl. Photo Credit: Jordan Kaye Photo Credit: Jordan Kaye
By Arthur Weinstein on

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, who erupted during the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl during an incident involving Illinois’ Bret Bielema, was subdued when he discussed the issue after the game.

Even in that relatively calm state, however, Beamer could not hide his incredulity that Bielema taunted him, which sparked the confrontation between the two coaches late in the third quarter during an injury stoppage. For those who missed the incident, here’s a replay:

Note the great report by ABC sideline reporter Quint Kessenich, who found himself in the middle of the fray and concurred with Beamer’s contention that Bielema taunted him.

Beamer told reporters after the game he’d never seen a coach taunt an opponent like that.

“It’s heated and competitive out there … but in all my years of being around football, I’ve never see an opposing head coach come over to the opposing team’s sideline and basically make a gesture toward the opposing head coach,” Beamer said.

“I’m disappointed, I’ve got a lot of respect for him, he’s obviously done this for a long time, but in all my years of coaching I’ve never seen that happen, the opposing coach come over, while his player’s hurt, and basically have something to say.”


Beamer said he thought Bielema might have been upset about something the Gamecocks had done on an earlier kickoff return. Bielema confirmed that when he met with reporters.


“Listen, I love Shane, he’s a good person,” Bielema said. “I know somebody said that he thought I did it (taunting) to him. I did it to the whole damn sideline.”

[Jordan Kaye]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.

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