Bielema's comments were widely interpreted as implying potential tampering -- an increasingly common concern in the transfer portal era. But following fan criticism of his remarks on social media, Bielema responded directly Thursday morning to clarify the timeline and defend McCray's decision.

Bielema brought up the issue on 'The Triple Option Podcast,' pointing to former Illini running back Josh McCray's move to Georgia

The Georgia Bulldogs are expecting Illinois transfer running back Josh McCray to be one of the major additions to their roster. However, Illinois head coach Bert Bielema believes Georgia didn't add him fairly. Bielema believes that Georgia tampered with McCray to get him to come to Athens.