In an astonishing fall from grace, Northwestern has fired head football coach Pat Fitzgerald amid the ongoing fallout surrounding an investigation into hazing that occurred within the program.
Fitzgerald, who had been coach of the Wildcats since 2006, was originally suspended for two weeks, but after a series of high-profile revelations and reporting by outlets including The Daily Northwestern and ESPN, the school decided to cut ties with the long-time leader.
School President Michael Schill released a letter to the university community on Monday night (which you can read here) detailing his reasoning behind the decision, and several key details were revealed within its paragraphs.
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At least 11 current, former players acknowledged hazing
While the first story detailing the allegations of hazing published in The Daily Northwestern focused on one former player, Schill said that at least 11 current and former players “acknowledged that hazing has been ongoing” within the program.
“This has never been about one former student-athlete and his motives. This is much bigger than that,” he said.
Hazing included acts of sexual assault
While reporting had added additional details into the allegations of hazing, Schill publicly-confirmed these details for the first time in the letter.
“The hazing included forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature,” he said. “I am grateful that – to my knowledge – no student suffered physical injury as a result of these behaviors.”
Hazing was “well-known” in program
While Fitzgerald was not found to have been aware of the hazing situation, Schill confirmed that the existence of the practice was “well-known.”
“The hazing was well-known by many in the program, though the investigator failed to find any credible evidence that Coach Fitzgerald himself knew about it,” he said.
New leadership announcements will be forthcoming
The school did not announce an interim football coach at this time, but Schill said that Athletic Director Derrick Gragg will soon announce those decisions.
“As always, the welfare of our students is paramount, and we will move forward expeditiously to make the reforms I outlined in the latter, dated July 8,” he said.
A report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel indicated the school would tab defensive coordinator David Braun for the role, but no official announcement has been made.