Illinois' Bret Bielema takes savage shot at Jim Harbaugh amid viral video

https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Illinois-HC-Bret-Bielema-.jpg

Bret Bielema has been feeling quite bold lately. Almost a month after getting into a heated exchange with South Carolina’s Shane Beamer during the Citrus Bowl, the Illinois football head coach is lambasting his former Big Ten foe, current Los Angeles Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh.

An old soundbite resurfaced, and it is causing people to roast the 2023 national champion all over the internet. When he was leading the San Francisco 49ers, Harbaugh emphasized the importance of integrity, a stance many find ironic in the aftermath of the Michigan sign-stealing scandal.

“You always want to be above reproach, especially when you’re good,” he said, via Justin Spiro. “Because you don’t want people to come back and say ‘oh, they’re winning because they’re cheating.’ If you cheat to win, then you’ve already lost.”

The NCAA found that the Wolverines, who Harbaugh coached from 2015-23, sent then-staffer Connor Stalions to record future opponents in an effort to obtain signs in advance. Despite incurring a three-game suspension from the Big Ten and a one-year suspension from the NCAA, Harbaugh vehemently denies any involvement in the alleged scheme.

Bielema clearly does not consider the man to be innocent, though. He quoted the old video clip on X and called out the former NFL and College Coach of the Year.

“Really…. Why did you leave?,” Bret Bielema said in response to Harbaugh’s anti-cheating comments. “Was looking forward to playing but understand why you ran to the NFL. See you in the future and can't wait.”

Bret Bielema is not letting Michigan or Jim Harbaugh off the hook

Oh boy. It is unclear what the Fighting Illini HC is alluding to in his last sentence. Does he expect the Chargers to fire Jim Harbaugh in the coming years, and in doing so, send him back to the college ranks? Or, does Bielema expect to land a NFL head coaching job himself at some point in the future? Regardless of the foreshadowing, it is obvious that these two Midwestern natives are not going to grab dinner together anytime soon, or ever.

Bielema was one of the most outspoken Michigan critics when the sign-stealing scandal bombshell landed on the college football world in 2023. More than a year later, he is not wavering. His renewed outrage could stem from Tuesdays news. The program intends to challenge the sign-stealing accusations, claiming that the NCAA “grossly overreached.”

Bielema and many of his Big Ten brethren probably do not take kindly to such an assertion. Though, Harbaugh is likely not too keen on being called a liar. This whole incident does not appear to have an end in sight.

The post Illinois’ Bret Bielema takes savage shot at Jim Harbaugh amid viral video appeared first on ClutchPoints.

×