Northwestern fires football coach Pat Fitzgerald after hazing investigation

Northwestern fired football coach Pat Fitzgerald following the findings of an investigation into the program’s hazing, according to a report.

The school ordered a six-month investigation led by attorney Maggie Hickey of law firm ArentFox Schiff into allegations of hazing within its football team.

The findings of the investigation were released Friday, with Fitzgerald initially suspended without pay for two weeks following release.

However, Northwestern has now reversed its decision and fired the coach ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Initially, after the release of the report, the school said the investigation did not find “sufficient” evidence that coaching staff knew about ongoing hazing practices. But researchers found there were “significant opportunities” to find out and report the behavior.

Fitzgerald was initially given an unpaid two-week suspension and said in a statement that he was “deeply disappointed” to learn about the hazing allegations.

“Northwestern football prides itself on producing not only athletes, but fine young men with character befitting the program and our university,” he said. “We hold our student-athletes and program to the highest standards; we will continue to work to exceed those standards in the future.”

However, on Saturday, an ex-player from the Northwest came forward to claim that some incidents of hazing included sexual acts.

The former football player of the school, who wished to remain anonymous, is said to have done so The daily northwest that the sexualized acts were led by upperclassman to punish younger players for mistakes made in training or games.

The incidents of sexualized hazing reportedly took place in the team’s locker room, which was often dark.

A common practice, branded “running,” reportedly involved holding a younger player while eight to ten upperclassmen, dressed in “Purge-esque” masks, began to “dry-hump” them. The ‘running’ often took place around Thanksgiving and Christmas with the versions called ‘Runsgiving’ and ‘Runsmas’.

In the wake of the allegations, Northwestern President Michael Schill announced that he would reconsider sentences for Fitzgerald.

In a letter to the Northwestern community, Schill says he “might have made a mistake in weighing the appropriate sanction” for the coach.

Several hazing practices within Northwestern’s football program involve sexualized acts, according to a former player (photo of the school’s mascot, Willie the Wildcat)

In the wake of the allegations, Northwestern President Michael Schill (pictured) announced that he is reconsidering sentences for Fitzgerald

Investigators said the hazing often took place in the team’s locker room and the activities may have started at the old training camp home in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Northwestern said Friday that it will no longer hold camp in Kenosha and that someone not affiliated with the program will guard the locker room.

The school said it will require annual anti-hazing training for coaches, staff and athletes, focusing on reporting capabilities and the responsibility to report, as well as discipline.

Other measures include creating an online tool for athletes to report hazing anonymously, and forming an internal working group of Northwest leaders “across disciplines” to “produce a report on policy development, organizational culture, communication, training and enforcement’.

The sexualized acts were allegedly led by upperclassman to punish younger players for mistakes made in training or games

The school also said it will work with the NCAA and Big Ten to “ensure that all processes and rules are followed.”

“Northwestern Athletics is proud to provide a world-class student-athlete experience, including a safe and respectful environment for all of our students, coaches and staff,” said athletic director Derrick Gragg. “We respect the courage of the individuals who came forward to raise awareness of the issue, and we pledge to do our part to create a more positive environment in the future.”

Fitzgerald’s firing comes after the Wildcats went 1-11 last season for their worst record since the 1989 team finished 0-11. They have lost 17 of their last 18 matches.

Fitzgerald is 110-101 in 17 seasons and leads his alma mater and is by far the school’s winningest coach. He led the Wildcats to Big Ten West championships in 2018 and 2020 plus five bowl wins. But they are 4-20 over the past two seasons.

More to follow.