Northwestern Football

Green Bay Packers CEO and former Northwestern athletic director Mark Murphy has been named as a defendant in two lawsuits filed in Cook County (Illinois) Circuit Court by former Wildcats football players who alleged hazing and mistreatment during their time with the program, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

The suits accuse Murphy of "negligence for failing to prevent the hazing," according to CBS News Chicago.

The anonymous players suited up for the Wildcats during the 2004 and 2005 seasons, per CBS News Chicago. Murphy served as the school's AD from 2003 to 2007.

Other defendants include former football coach Pat Fitzgerald, ex-university president Henry Bienen and NU's board of trustees, according to Rittenberg, who also noted that Murphy and the Packers "respectfully" declined comment on the matter.

Four lawsuits in total were filed with the court Thursday by ex-players, per Rittenberg. The other two lawsuits did not name Murphy as a defendant.

Former NU players have accused the program of being rife with hazing and harassment. CBS News Chicago summarized the complaints.

"Specifically, the lawsuits claim the players were forced to engage in acts of hazing dubbed 'running,' in which upperclassmen would hold down freshmen players in the locker room, and take turns 'dry-humping' them. Freshmen were also forced to take part in a hazing ritual known as the 'car wash,' in which a group of naked upperclassmen would force underclassmen to rub against them on their way into the showers."

This is in addition to a new allegation in which Black players claimed in lawsuits that they were forced to compete in racist watermelon-eating contests, per CBS News Chicago. Those lawsuits claim Fitzgerald "knew and encouraged this behavior to happen to these very young and impressionable men."

Fitzgerald, a former star NU linebacker, coached on the Wildcats' staff from 2001-2022 before being promoted to head coach in 2006. He worked as the team's linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator in 2004 and 2005.

Northwestern initially suspended Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay before changing course three days later and firing him. He denies knowing about the allegations, and the current team released a statement in report of their ex-coach:

New statement from Dan Webb, Pat Fitzgerald’s attorney, following today’s filing and news conferences. Focuses on the lack of specifics offered up: pic.twitter.com/D17IVjCWhy

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) July 19, 2023

Statement from Northwestern’s entire team pushing back against the allegations of hazing, which they call “exaggerated and twisted.” They also say coach Pat Fitzgerald had no knowledge or involvement in the allegations. pic.twitter.com/lMOAgCe0EB

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) July 9, 2023

Northwestern has since turned to former North Dakota State defensive coordinator David Braun, who joined the NU program under Fitzgerald to assume the Wildcats' DC position, as its interim head coach.

Former Northwestern offensive lineman Ramon Diaz has filed a lawsuit against the school alleging hazing and racial mistreatment.

Per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg and Dan Murphy, Diaz alleged he was "subjected to hazing that included the mocking of his Mexican heritage along with 'microaggressions' from comments made by former offensive line coach Bret Ingalls as well as sexualized acts that have previously been alleged by other former players" during his four seasons with the program from 2005 to '08.

The lawsuit claims Ingalls and former assistant coach James Patton made "racist, embarrassing, degrading and harassing remarks" toward Diaz and other players on the team.

Diaz also alleges several Northwestern coaches witnessed hazing incidents or should have been aware of them, with Ingalls and current assistant Matt MacPherson cited in the lawsuit as having witnessed the alleged incidents and "took no action to address and/or prevent" them.

Speaking to Rittenberg and Murphy about the lawsuit, Diaz said Northwestern, both the university and athletic department, "condoned" the culture that is alleged to have gone on under former head football coach Pat Fitzgerald:

"There is a culture that has been condoned by the athletic department and university that has allowed these coaches to behave the way they do. I believe focus should be shifted toward the athletic department specifically, but Northwestern at large. The atmosphere will not change systematically if that does not happen."

Prior to his freshman season in 2005, Diaz told Rittenberg and Murphy, upperclassmen shaved "05/05" into his hair for Cinco de Mayo:

"There were so many things that were said to me, just the bigotry and the racism. Why 'Cinco de Mayo' for me? They could have shaved anything in my head. Somehow, upperclassmen thought that would be the funniest. To ridicule a very important part of my national origins is really just mocking my father and what he did coming over here. I've said it to my therapist many times: Something was taken from me immediately. The joy I had to play the game very quickly started to dwindle."

Diaz previously spoke out publicly about the alleged racial mistreatment non-white players faced during his time at Northwestern.

"I didn't feel like I could be anything other than white," Diaz told Nicole Markus, Alyce Brown and Cole Reynolds of the Daily Northwestern on July 10. "We never felt like we could be ourselves. We had to fit in by being white or acting white or laughing at our own people."

Two other players, who asked to remain anonymous, made similar allegations in the same report.

"Those are two phrases you would hear a lot around the program that referred to the sentiment of 'fall in line,'" one of the players said. "If you were not in line with the 'Wildcat Way,' Coach Fitz or any one of the coaches will be quick to say like, 'Yeah, check your scholarship."

An unnamed former offensive lineman told Rittenberg and Murphy he witnessed Ingalls make racial comments to Diaz during a film session in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

"We were in Kenosha watching film and Coach Ingalls said something to the extent of, 'Man, this room is really dirty. It's a pigsty. Ramon, I know your parents clean up after folks like this. How should we do it?'" the player said. "There were some really foul things that ended up happening under his watch."

Diaz's lawsuit is the 10th that has been filed against the university since allegations that Fitzgerald was aware of hazing at the school became public.

Fitzgerald was originally given a two-week suspension without pay after the school said an investigation led by attorney Maggie Hickey did not find "sufficient" evidence to support allegations the coaching staff knew about the hazing.

After additional allegations were reported, the school announced Fitzgerald's firing.

"The decision comes after a difficult and complex evaluation of my original discipline decision imposed last week on Coach Fitzgerald for his failure to know and prevent significant hazing in the football program," Northwestern president Michael Schill said in a statement.

The school told Rittenberg on July 11 it was retaining all of Fitzgerald's assistant coaches and support staff for the 2023 season. David Braun, who was hired as defensive coordinator in January, is serving as interim head coach.

Diaz's lawsuit doesn't list any current or former assistant coaches, nor are any players named. The school said in a statement to Rittenberg and Murphy it will review the allegations made against MacPherson:

"We will review any specific allegation involving current coaches or players and will take the appropriate disciplinary actions based on the facts. We are committed to do whatever is necessary to address hazing-related issues and ensure that our athletic program remains one that our entire community can be proud of and one that is fully aligned with and reflects our values."

Former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch was hired by Northwestern on Tuesday to lead an independent investigation into its athletic department culture, process and anti-hazing procedures.

Former Northwestern linebacker Simba Short filed a lawsuit against the school Thursday for alleged hazing he underwent as a member of the football team, according to The Athletic's Chris Vannini.

Short is the fifth Northwestern football player to file a lawsuit against the university over alleged hazing. He follows former quarterback Lloyd Yates as the second to file publicly and under his name.

Short joined the Northwestern roster in 2015 but did not play in a game before medically retiring in 2016.

Vannini reported that Short's lawsuit seeks damages of over $50,000. According to the court filing, Short was hospitalized in spring 2016 due to a self-harm attempt stemming from "trauma and fear due to hazing incidents that occurred during his time at Northwestern."

The filing went on to describe alleged hazing incidents, including forced contact of a sexual nature and forced drinking.

Northwestern fired head football coach Pat Fitzgerald on July 10, three days after the school announced he would be suspended for two weeks following an investigation regarding former football players' complaints of hazing.

Later, university president Michael Schill said he "may have erred" in deciding on the original suspension sanction for Fitzgerald.

Since Fitzgerald's firing, three unnamed members on the team from 2018 to 2022 and Yates, who was on the roster from 2015 to 2017, have filed lawsuits against the football program, according to Kalyn Kahler of The Athletic.

Yates said that Northwestern staff members were aware of some of the alleged hazing, per Kahler. Short's lawsuit describes alleged hazing that took place on a bus with staff members present, according to Vannini.

A former Northwestern volleyball player announced plans to sue the school over allegations of hazing in the volleyball program earlier this week, per The Athletic.

The Northwestern football program announced Tuesday that it will not attend Big Ten Media Day amid the hazing scandal that resulted in the firing of head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

"Given the recent events involving the Northwestern football program, we did not want our participation to be dominated by the hazing issue and steal the focus away from football and the upcoming season," the players said in a statement.

A statement from our student-athlete representatives regarding Big Ten Media Day: pic.twitter.com/er6vCO3iRH

— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) July 25, 2023

Interim head football coach David Braun added: "The decision from our players to forgo Big Ten Media Day was entirely theirs, and they approached it with a great deal of maturity and thoughtfulness. I'm fully supportive of both their reasoning and the decision itself, and I look forward to attending the event."

Northwestern fired Fitzgerald earlier this month following an investigation into allegations of widespread hazing within the football program. University president Michael Schill said in a statement that while there was no "credible evidence" to suggest Fitzgerald knew of the hazing, he was let go "for his failure to know and prevent significant hazing in the football program."

Lawsuits against Northwestern, Schill, Fitzgerald and athletic director Derrick Gragg are now beginning to pile up.

An anonymous former football player who played for Northwestern from 2018 through 2022 filed a lawsuit against Fitzgerald and members of the university's leadership group—including Schill and Gragg—on July 18, seeking damages from the hazing scandal, per ESPN's Dan Murphy and Adam Rittenberg.

One of the attorneys for the player told ESPN that his client "was subjected to hazing that included sexualized acts and racial discrimination." The lawsuit claims Fitzgerald took part in the "harassment, hazing, bullying, assault, and/or abuse of athletes."

Former Northwestern quarterback Lloyd Yates, who played for the program from 2015 to 2017, also filed a lawsuit against the university on Monday, alleging a "normalized" culture of hazing, sexual abuse and racism, according to Rittenberg.

One of the allegations in Yates' lawsuit comes against associate head coach Matt MacPherson, who is accused of having "witnessed several alleged hazing incidents, including naked pullups during preseason training."

The former quarterback's lawsuit also alleges that nonconsenting assistant coaches and players were subject to sexual abuse that included a group of players forcibly holding them down and rubbing "their genital areas against the [person's] genitals, face, and buttocks while rocking back and forth," according to USA Today's Tom Schad.

Yates' lawsuit is the fourth known complaint filed against Northwestern in relation to the hazing scandal, according to Schad.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump also said last week that 50 former Northwestern student-athletes, both male and female, had spoken with the Levin & Perconti law firm regarding hazing and sexual abuse allegations, per Larry Lage and Claire Savage of the Associated Press.

Attorney Ben Crump has filed a lawsuit on behalf of former Northwestern quarterback Lloyd Yates against the school stemming from the alleged hazing within the football program.

Per USA Today's Tom Schad, allegations in the lawsuit include "claims that members of the coaching staff were aware of those acts–and, in some instances, subjected to them as well."

The lawsuit specifically notes assistant coaches were "ran" by players "on more than one occasion." Running is defined in the complaint as when a group of players forcibly held down a nonconsenting individual and rubbed "their genital areas against the [person's] genitals, face, and buttocks while rocking back and forth."

One allegation in the lawsuit states a strength and conditioning coach was "ran" by members of the team on the football field in front of the entire team and coaching staff in either the fall of 2015 or spring of 2016.

Associate head coach Matt MacPherson, who has been with the program since 2006, is one of the coaches "accused of witnessing acts of hazing and not stopping them or reporting them" in the lawsuit.

The new Northwestern football lawsuit has been filed, and longtime assistant coach Matt McPherson is "accused of witnessing acts of hazing and not stopping them or reporting them." The complaint lists two unnamed assistant coaches who were hazed in the same manner as players.

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) July 24, 2023

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg also noted multiple allegations of racism from players to coaches was cited in the lawsuit and a post-training hazing event that was described as "non-optional" requiring players to play drinking games with excessive amounts of alcohol.

Today's lawsuit includes "running" and other hazing incidents that have been revealed, but also some new ones, including "The Dredge," a post-training event where players were allegedly hazed with "excessive alcohol intoxication and drinking games." Described as not-optional.

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) July 24, 2023

Rittenberg noted Yates is currently the only plaintiff listed in the lawsuit, but four former Wildcats players are quoted within it and one said he suffered sexual abuse as a minor and was injured as a result of the "violent hazing."

MacPherson was named in a report from USA Today's Josh Peter by former Wildcats offensive lineman Ramon Diaz and another person who had contact with multiple other former players. They said MacPherson witnessed various forms of hazing, including players doing naked pull-ups.

"He would come in and laugh at the guy(s) who was doing the naked pull-ups," Diaz told Peter via text message.

Jon Yates, Northwestern's vice president for global marketing and communications, issued a statement to Peter in response to the allegations from Diaz and other players:

"There is no place for hazing at Northwestern. We are committed to do whatever is necessary to address hazing-related issues and ensure that our athletic program remains one that our entire community can be proud of and one that is fully aligned with and reflects our values. As President Michael Schill stated on Tuesday, the University will redouble our efforts to safeguard the welfare of each and every student-athlete at Northwestern."

Former head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who was fired on July 10 due to allegations of widespread hazing within the program, was not named as a defendant in Yates' lawsuit.

Schad noted this Yates lawsuit is the fourth known complaint that has been filed against Northwestern related to the hazing scandal, but this is the first one with a named plaintiff.

A former volleyball player also filed a lawsuit against Northwestern on Monday, saying the school and athletic department were negligent responding to an alleged hazing incident from the spring of 2021.

Crump told reporters last week he was representing more than 15 Northwestern student-athletes, both men and women, and he's been in contact with over 50 former athletes from the program.

Yates was on the Wildcats football team for three seasons from 2015 to '17. He was a quarterback during his first two seasons before moving to wide receiver as a redshirt sophomore in 2017.

A former Northwestern volleyball player filed suit against the school Monday, alleging university officials failed to properly address a hazing incident in 2021, according to ESPN's Dan Murphy.

The player also alleged head coach Shane Davis "enabled a culture of racism, bullying, harassment, hazing and retaliation" inside the volleyball program.

According to Murphy, the player chose to remain anonymous in the complaint.

She contends Ryan disciplined her for violating the team's COVID-19 guidelines, which she denies breaking, after she tested positive for the virus in February 2021. That March, Ryan decided to have the team captains pick the player's punishment, according to the lawsuit. She had to run suicides as her teammates and coaches watched her, and she said she needed medical attention after she completed the sprints.

In her suit, the player said Northwestern determined after conducting an investigation that hazing had occurred within the program. However, the school decided against punishing any individual players or coaches.

This comes after Wildcats football coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired following an inquiry into hazing within that program. Three former football players have already pursued litigation in connection to that.

Northwestern also fired baseball coach Jim Foster due to allegations about a toxic atmosphere around the team.

University president Michael Schill said on July 18 he "will continue to do whatever is necessary to address this situation and ensure that our athletic program remains one you can be proud of and one that is fully aligned with and reflects our values."

Schill added he intends to follow through on a recommendation by the Faculty Senate to have an outside firm "evaluate the sufficiency of our accountability mechanism including the Committee on Athletics and Recreation and our ability to detect threats to the welfare of student-athletes."

Former Northwestern offensive lineman Ramon Diaz and another unnamed source told Josh Peter of USA Today that Wildcats associate football head coach Matt MacPherson allegedly witnessed team members do naked pull-ups and other hazing activities.

"He would come in and laugh at the guy(s) who was doing the naked pull-ups," Diaz texted to Peter regarding MacPherson's alleged behavior.

Diaz, an offensive lineman who played from 2005-2008, also alleged that MacPherson would come in and out of the locker room during the activities. The pull-ups reportedly occurred during the team's week-long preseason retreat to Camp Kenosha in Wisconsin.

The other source, described as a "person in contact with several former players," claimed that MacPherson allegedly witnessed the team engage in a hazing ritual called "running."

A former player described that practice in detail in a July 8 report written by Nicole Markus, Alyce Brown, Cole Reynolds and Divya Bhardwaj of the Daily Northwestern:

"The former player said he reported his experiences to the University in late November 2022. He alleges that much of the team's hazing centered around a practice dubbed 'running,' which was used to punish team members, primarily freshman, for mistakes made on the field and in practice.

"If a player was selected for 'running,' the player who spoke to The Daily said, they would be restrained by a group of 8-10 upperclassmen dressed in various 'Purge-like' masks, who would then begin 'dry-humping' the victim in a dark locker room."

Northwestern president Michael Schill initially suspended longtime head football coach Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay on July 7 following an investigation led by attorney Maggie Hickey, which did not find "sufficient" evidence that the coaches knew about the hazing. However, the investigation reportedly stated that there were "significant opportunities" to discover and report such conduct, per Andrew Seligman of the Associated Press.

Three days later, Schill changed course and announced that he relieved longtime head football coach Pat Fitzgerald of his duties on July 10.

"During the investigation, eleven current or former football student-athletes acknowledged that hazing has been ongoing within the football program," Schill wrote.

"In new media reporting today, still more former Northwestern football student-athletes confirmed that hazing was systemic dating back many years. This has never been about one former student-athlete and his motives; this is much bigger than that."

Schill also wrote that "the hazing included forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature, in clear violation of Northwestern policies and values." He stated that no student-athlete suffered physical injuries to his knowledge as a result of the hazing behaviors.

While Fitzgerald was fired, the assistant coaches and support staff remained on board. David Braun, who just joined Northwestern this offseason as its new defensive coordinator, has been named the interim head coach.

MacPherson is listed as the associate head coach in charge of defensive backs. Per Peter, the 46-year-old joined Fitzgerald's staff in 2006. He worked with the running backs before switching over to defensive backs in 2018.

Hazing allegations against several athletic programs at Northwestern continue to pile up.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and his law firm have spoken to 50 former Northwestern student-athletes, both male and female, regarding allegations of hazing and sexual abuse within the university's athletic programs, per Larry Lage and Claire Savage of the Associated Press.

Crump said he and other attorneys have received reports of hazing within the Northwestern baseball and softball programs, in addition to growing hazing and sexual violence allegations against the football program, which former Wildcats running back Warren Miles Long described as "rampant."

"The abusive culture was especially devastating for many players of color," former Wildcats quarterback Lloyd Yates, who is Black, said Wednesday at a news conference, per the Associated Press.

On Tuesday, a former Northwestern football player who played for the program from 2018 to 2022 filed a lawsuit against former head football coach Pat Fitzgerald and members of the university's leadership group, which includes president Michael Schill and athletic director Derrick Gragg, seeking damages stemming from the hazing scandal within the football program, per ESPN's Dan Murphy and Adam Rittenberg.

The anonymous player's attorney told ESPN that the player "was subjected to hazing that included sexualized acts and racial discrimination." The lawsuit also accuses Fitzgerald of being involved in the "harassment, hazing, bullying, assault, and/or abuse of athletes," including the former player.

Fitzgerald was fired as head coach of the football program last week following an investigation into the hazing scandal. Schill said that while there was no "credible evidence" to suggest Fitzgerald knew of the hazing, he was fired "for his failure to know and prevent significant hazing in the football program."

Northwestern says the report into hazing will remain confidential, despite calls for full transparency. Press release announcing Fitz’s firing includes these bullet points: pic.twitter.com/s2LAe7q8sA

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) July 10, 2023

Fitzgerald had served as head coach of the Wildcats since 2006, leading the team to 10 bowl games and two Big Ten championships.

Additionally, former head baseball coach Jim Foster is facing allegations of bullying and abuse.

Former Northwestern baseball players and those close to the baseball program told Jonathan Bullington of the Chicago Tribune that they reported Foster to the university beginning before the 2023 season for "problematic behavior."

The university's human resources department launched an investigation and found "sufficient evidence" that Foster "engaged in bullying and abusive behavior," according to an HR document obtained by the Chicago Tribune.

Foster was also found to have "made an inappropriate comment regarding a female staff member, and spoke negatively about his staff to other staff members."

Like Fitzgerald, Foster was also fired by Northwestern last week.

More lawsuits from former football players, baseball players and other student-athletes from other sports are expected to be filed in the coming days and weeks, according to the Associated Press. Criminal charges are also possible, as Illinois, like most states, has criminalized hazing.

Former Northwestern head football coach Pat Fitzgerald is among the defendants listed in a lawsuit filed by an anonymous former player who said the football program was negligent in allowing hazing to occur in the locker room, according to ESPN's Dan Murphy and Adam Rittenberg.

Northwestern, its board of trustees, university president Michael Schill, athletic director Derrick Gragg and former president Morton Schapiro are also listed as defendants in the lawsuit.

The attorney of the former player who filed the lawsuit told Murphy and Rittenberg that the player "was subjected to hazing that included sexualized acts and racial discrimination." He suited up for the Wildcats from 2018-22. The lawsuit also accuses Fitzgerald of taking part in "harassment, hazing, bullying, assault, and/or abuse of athletes," including the former player who filed the lawsuit, according to ESPN.

"It seems like the athletic department as a whole was culturally tainted in a way that permitted hazing, sexual harassment, [and] racial discrimination," Parker Stinar, one of the former player's attorneys, said.

Northwestern fired Fitzgerald last week following an investigation into hazing allegations made by a former player. Schill said in a statement at the time that much of the investigation would remain confidential, though he did reveal that 11 former or current players acknowledged hazing had occurred within the football program.

The university said in a press release that the hazing included "forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature" and that "no student suffered physical injury as a result."

Additionally, it said no "credible evidence" was found to suggest that Fitzgerald was aware of the hazing. Northwestern said he was fired "for his failure to know and prevent significant hazing in the football program."

Northwestern says the report into hazing will remain confidential, despite calls for full transparency. Press release announcing Fitz’s firing includes these bullet points: pic.twitter.com/s2LAe7q8sA

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) July 10, 2023

Three players also told Nicole Markus, Alyce Brown and Cole Reynolds of the Daily Northwestern that the football program has a "culture of enabling racism" coming from both players and staff.

Additionally, a former player told Rittenberg earlier this month that Fitzgerald "absolutely failed" by not preventing hazing from occurring.

"Fitz absolutely failed by not intervening. Fitz knew, and he should have made it stop; and if he truly did not know, he should not be the head coach," the former player said. "Either way, he should not be the head coach, because he is not monitoring and protecting the safety and well-being of student-athletes."

Fitzgerald had served as head coach of the Wildcats since 2006. He led the program to a 110-101 record, 10 bowl games and two Big Ten championships in that span.

More football players and other athletes are expected to join the anonymous player's lawsuit in the near future, his attorneys told ESPN.

Former Northwestern football players are reportedly pursuing legal action against the school in the aftermath of the hazing scandal that led to former head coach Pat Fitzgerald's firing.

According to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, eight former players retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump as well as the Levin & Perconti law firm. Crump and the firm announced they discovered "a vast array of incidents of abuse" within the football program.

"Whether the coaches at Northwestern approved or participated in the harassment of these players or not, they are responsible for allowing and enabling a toxic, disgusting, and damaging culture in their programs," Crump said in a statement. "Sadly, our research suggests that this kind of abuse of student athletes may be far more common on college campuses than we know, because there is tremendous pressure to keep quiet. It's time for a reckoning to protect young athletes."

An independent investigation into the program also substantiated allegations from former players regarding the hazing scandal.

President Michael Schill wrote a July 10 letter announcing Fitzgerald's firing and explaining the hazing incidents included but were not limited to "forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature" that were "well-known by many in the program" and "systemic dating back many years."

The letter revealed the investigation could not find direct evidence Fitzgerald was aware of the hazing. While Northwestern fired the head coach, it elected to retain all of its assistant coaches and support staff.

Fitzgerald released a statement following his firing suggesting he will take legal action:

Statement attached from former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald to ESPN, which includes that he's hired a high-profile attorney to "take the necessary steps to protect my rights in accordance with the law." Fitzgerald: "I was surprised when I learned that the president of… pic.twitter.com/zPNTAkr2xn

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 11, 2023

Yet a former player told Rittenberg on July 9 that the coach was well aware of what was happening inside the program.

"Fitz absolutely knew about hazing in this program," the former player said. "Fitz absolutely failed by not intervening. Fitz knew, and he should have made it stop; and if he truly did not know, he should not be the head coach. Either way, he should not be the head coach, because he is not monitoring and protecting the safety and well-being of student-athletes."

Northwestern initially suspended Fitzgerald for two weeks and announced a number of measures that would be put in place to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, including the suspension of training camps in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and a new hazing reporting tool to go with additional anti-hazing training for all coaches, staff members and student-athletes.

Fitzgerald played linebacker for the Wildcats from 1994 through 1996 and coached the program for 17 years from 2006 through 2022.

David Braun, whom Northwestern hired this offseason as a defensive coordinator, will be the interim head coach for the upcoming season.