Northwestern University fired football coach Pat Fitzgerald ‘for good reason’ despite not knowing about hazing incidents among Wildcats players, his attorney told ESPNpotentially sparking a legal battle over the remaining $42 million on his contract.
The resignation came three days after Fitzgerald was given an unpaid two-week suspension following an independent inquiry that found the hazing allegations were “largely supported by evidence.” A player reported to the student newspaper, the Daily Northwestern, and revealed that some of the hazing involved forced sex acts.
Fitzgerald is also accused of leading a “culture of enabling racism,” which reportedly included the head coach requesting that black players cut off their dreadlocks to better conform to the “Wildcat Way.”
Attorney Maggie Hickey and the ArentFox Schiff firm’s investigation did not find Fitzgerald or his staff aware of the hazing, but did say he had an opportunity to learn about and report the incidents.
Dan Webb, the attorney representing Fitzgerald, disputed the characterization of the school “for good reason” to ESPN, saying he is currently assessing his client’s legal options. Specifically, Webb accuses Northwestern of violating Fitzgerald’s contact and a verbal agreement reached between the coach and the school last week when he initially received his two-week suspension.
Northwestern University fired football coach Pat Fitzgerald “for good reason,” his attorney says
“I can’t understand how you could fire someone for a good reason if they [Northwestern] admitting that their own attorney has no evidence that my client ever knew about the alleged hazing behavior,” Webb told ESPN. “If I put that to a jury one day, a jury will find it hard to believe you can fire someone for a reason if they didn’t know about it. [the incidents].’
Webb also claims that Fitzgerald was told by Northwestern general counsel Stephanie Graham that his sentence would be limited to his two-week suspension.
“This is all there would be,” Webb tells his Graham client.
A Northwestern spokesperson did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Northwestern fired the Wildcats coach and former linebacker on Monday amid the ongoing fallout from the controversy.
In the wake of the allegations, Northwestern President Michael Schill (pictured) announced that he is reconsidering sentences for Fitzgerald
University president Michael Schill wrote a letter to the Northwestern community on Saturday night admitting that the school “may have made a mistake” in the strictness of its discipline. Schill then confirmed reports of Fitzgerald’s firing with a new letter Monday night.
“This afternoon I notified head football coach Pat Fitzgerald that he is being relieved of his duties effective immediately,” Schill wrote Monday. “The decision comes after a difficult and complex review of my original disciplinary decision issued last week against Coach Fitzgerald for his failure to know about and prevent significant hazing in the football program.”
Schill said he spent “a lot of time” discussing the matter with the board of trustees, faculty, students, alumni “and Coach Fitzgerald himself.”
Fitzgerald, who had served as head coach of the Big Ten program since 2006, had the support of much of the team, which released a letter on Saturday supporting Fitzgerald, calling the hazing practices “exaggerated and twisted.”
“During the study, 11 current or former soccer student-athletes acknowledged that hazing was going on within the soccer program,” Schill wrote. In new media coverage today, even more former football students from the Northwest confirmed that hazing had been systematic for many years. This was never about one former student athlete and his motives; this is much bigger than that.’
Schill said he had only recently learned the complainant’s identity because the investigation was confidential.
Northwestern has not announced an interim coach. Schill wrote that “in the coming days,” the athletic department will “announce the leadership for this upcoming football season.”
The scandal has delayed a planned $800 million renovation of Ryan Field, the team’s stadium
The school faculty has formally requested that the university publish the findings of the hazing study.
In a letter to the university president and other school officials, a group of six private university teachers and residents of Evanston, Illinois called for the postponement of a planned $800 million renovation of Ryan Field, the Wildcats’ football stadium.
There are also calls for support for Fitzgerald from some former players and alumni.
Meanwhile, this week the school declined to fire Fitzgerald’s staff over the allegations.