More than six months after Northwestern began investigating allegations of hazing within its football team, and days after announcing that coach Pat Fitzgerald had been suspended for two weeks without pay, the program remains shrouded in uncertainty even with the start of fall practices just weeks away.
The school said Friday that Fitzgerald, a onetime star player and now the Wildcats’ winningest coach, was suspended after an investigation led by attorney Maggie Hickey of law firm ArentFox Schiff did not find “sufficient” evidence that the coaching staff knew about ongoing hazing — though there were “significant opportunities” to find out about it.
The next day, though, The Daily Northwestern published a story detailing allegations from a former play who described specific instances of hazing and sexual abuse. The report also indicated that Fitzgerald “may have known that hazing took place.”
The hazing controversy comes at a time when the practice has been widely banned. On Sunday's Sports Huddle on News Talk 830 WCCO, hosts Dave Schwartz and former Gopher linebacker and team captain Pete Najarian said it deserves much more punishment if Fitzgerald knew about it.
"I'm going back to 1981 at the University of Minnesota, it was nothing terrible, it was nothing like what I've been reading at Northwestern and what I've been reading so far," says Najarian. "It was more of the fun-loving type, if you want to call it that, but I didn't like it at all. I was a captain as a sophomore, and I told the guys, 'all the stuff I've seen previous to now is never going to happen while I'm the captain'. When you come here as a freshman, you're 17, 18 , 19 years old, you come here as a freshman, you're from out of state or from a small town, suddenly you've got this group of guys that do this, do that, that tape you up and do these goofy things to you they think are funny. It just isn't helpful. It's not fun. It's not fun for somebody who came from somewhere else, they're already uncomfortable, they're around a lot of people, they're somewhat intimidated. Because I felt all those emotions."
Najarian says that if Fitzgerald knew about the hazing allegations, it needs to be more than what he calls a "slap on the wrist" suspension.
Schwartz, who played high school football, says he was hazed and it actually caused him to lose sleep.
"You'd run inside as soon as one of your sessions was over and try to get caught in it," says Schwartz. "Our football coach knew it happened. But he did nothing about it. It was just something that we did. And we now know in 2023 it's not something you should do. It's harmful, not only to a kid's well-being physically, but mentally. It does terrible things to your mental state. It has nothing to do with football. It has nothing to do with bringing players together. It has everything to do with bullying and keeping people in rank. That's not how you garner a team atmosphere."
Schwartz also adds that if Fitzgerald didn't know the hazing was happening, that is just as damning for a head coach.
"If he knew about it shame on him, but if he didn't know about it shame on him even more for not knowing what was going on in his program as they head football coach," says Schwartz.
Northwestern President Michael Schill wrote an open letter to the university community in which he acknowledged focusing “too much on what the report concluded (Fitzgerald) didn’t know and not enough on what he should have known.” Schill went on to say that he planned to speak with university leadership, members of the board of trustees and leaders of the faculty senate to determine his next steps, which could include additional punishment for Fitzgerald and his staff.
“As the head coach of one of our athletics programs,” Schill wrote, “Coach Fitzgerald is not only responsible for what happens within the program but also must take great care to uphold our institutional commitment to the student experience and our priority to ensure all students — undergraduate and graduate — can thrive during their time at Northwestern.
“He failed to uphold that commitment,” Schill added, “and I failed to sufficiently consider that failure in levying a sanction.”
"You have to come down harder on somebody if it's proven out," said Najarian. "Obviously it's just unfortunate that anybody would think that's a great idea. Coaches I played for never allowed it. Guys like Lou Holtz never thought this was something that was part of the game. At all."
A university spokesman declined to provide any update Sunday on Schill’s plans or discussions that may have occurred.
The school first learned of the hazing allegations in late 2022, and the former player who brought the complaint spoke to investigators earlier this year as part of a six-month probe launched by the university. The report concluded the claims could be “largely supported by the evidence” but could not determine whether the coaching staff was aware of the incidents.
"I don't know how you could possibly not know what was going on," says Najarian. "There's just no way. There's no way somebody doesn't have some idea of what is going on. They might just turn their head. The reality is, they know it's there and they don't want to ask questions because they don't wnat to have to say they know it's there. And that's part of the problem as well."
"It's a bad look for Northwestern," added Schwartz who thinks more punishment is coming. "This makes me angry and the more I talk about it the more angry I get. There's no place for this in football or any sport. I thought, maybe in 2023, we were done with this garbage but I guess not. It's still going on."
Along with Fitzgerald’s two-week suspension, the university said preseason football camps in Wisconsin would be discontinued; the locker room would be monitored by an official outside the purview of the coaching staff; the school would create an online tool for anonymously reporting hazing; coaches, staff and athletes would be required to take anti-hazing training; and the university would form a working group to report on policy, culture, training and enforcement.
“We respect the courage of the individuals who came forward to make us aware of the issue, and we vow to do our part to create a more positive environment moving forward,” Northwestern athletic director Derrick Gragg said in a statement Friday.
Fitzgerald, who starred for Northwestern in the 1990s and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008, was hired to coach his alma mater in 2006 after the sudden death of then-coach Randy Walker. Fitzgerald has led the Wildcats to 110 wins over 17 seasons, including 10 trips to the bowl games, and five times they have finished in the final AP Top 25 poll.
Many current and former players rushed to Fitzgerald’s defense after suspension was announced.
Wildcats quarterback Ryan Hilinski tweeted: “When it comes to being a man I admire and respect, Coach Fitz has always been that man for me in my time at Northwestern! He always offers an ear when I need to talk and a hand whenever I need help up! I’ve got his back like he always has had ours.”
Former quarterback Trevor Semien, now with the Cincinnati Bengals, tweeted: “Fitz emphasized integrity, sacrificing for others, respect, and accountability. These are values that I strive to uphold now as a husband and father. While I won’t speak for anyone else, I can say that my experience at NU did not reflect what I read in the Daily Northwestern.”
A letter circulated on social media, signed by “The ENTIRE Northwestern Football Team” but without disclosing an authors, said that “throughout his tenure, Coach Fitzgerald has consistently prioritized the well-being and development of his players, and we stand behind him in his unwavering commitment to our team.”
Northwestern is only the latest school forced to confront hazing within its athletic programs.
Last month, two former New Mexico State basketball players agreed to an $8 million settlement with the university after filing a lawsuit in April alleging they were sexually assaulted by teammates. The lawsuit was filed two months after one of the players brought his allegations to campus police, which ultimately led to the cancellation of the remainder of the season.
Then-Aggies coach Greg Heiar, who was fired in February, was recently hired to coach Mineral Area College in Missouri.
Also last month, Harvard women’s hockey coach Katey Stone announced her retirement months after The Boston Globe published a report detailing multiple instances of verbal abuse, hazing and pressure to return prematurely from injuries. Stone had led the Crimson for nearly three decades and made four national title games while winning the 1999 championship.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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