Northwestern has dismissed Pat Fitzgerald, their long-serving coach, following allegations of widespread hazing within the football program.
In an open letter to the school community, university president Michael Schill stated, “The culture of a team ultimately falls under the responsibility of the head coach. The hazing we investigated was not a secret within the program, making it evident that Coach Fitzgerald had the opportunity to become aware of it. Despite its strengths, the culture in Northwestern Football was flawed in certain aspects.”
Sources have informed ESPN that David Braun, the defensive coordinator, is expected to assume the role of acting coach for the Wildcats.
However, on Saturday night, the school reversed its decision after The Daily Northwestern published an article containing specific instances of hazing and sexual abuse described by the former player. This prompted Schill to write an open letter to the university community, acknowledging that he may have made an error in evaluating the appropriate punishment for Fitzgerald and admitting that he focused too much on what the report concluded about Fitzgerald’s lack of knowledge, rather than what he should have known.
In his letter on Monday, Schill explained that the decision to terminate Fitzgerald’s employment came after a challenging and intricate evaluation of the original disciplinary action imposed on him for his failure to prevent and be aware of significant hazing in the football program. Schill stated that he had carefully considered feedback from various individuals who care about the university, including the Board of Trustees, faculty leadership, students, alumni, and Coach Fitzgerald himself. He also mentioned that he received numerous phone calls, text messages, and emails expressing various viewpoints.
“While I am grateful for the feedback and took it into account during the decision-making process, ultimately, the decision to suspend Coach Fitzgerald originally and to part ways with him now was mine alone,” Schill emphasized.
In a statement to ESPN, Fitzgerald expressed surprise at the unilateral revocation of the agreement by the president of Northwestern, resulting in the termination of his employment. He referred to the previously agreed-upon two-week suspension. Fitzgerald stated that he had assigned his representative, Bryan Harlan, and seasoned litigator Dan Webb with the responsibility of undertaking the essential legal measures to safeguard his rights.
According to a Northwestern team official, Fitzgerald briefly addressed the football team in a meeting on Monday night. His wife and three sons, including his oldest son Jack, who is currently a player at Northwestern, were present at the meeting. Athletic director Derrick Gragg, who had been overseas, addressed the team via Zoom, while coordinators Braun and Mike Bajakian spoke in person. Sources described the meeting as somber and emotionally charged.
Regarding the investigation conducted by ArentFox Schiff, Schill stated in his letter on Monday that the report would remain confidential. However, he revealed that 11 current or former players acknowledged the occurrence of hazing within the program during the investigation.
“The hazing involved coerced participation in degrading acts, including nudity and sexualized behavior, which clearly violated Northwestern’s policies and values,” Schill wrote.
The former player whose allegations triggered the investigation commented in a statement to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, saying, “For me, this has always been about ensuring the physical and mental safety of student-athletes. There is still progress to be made in athletics nationwide, and today represents a step in that direction. I appreciate those who reviewed the presented facts.”
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Fitzgerald amassed a record of 110-101 over 17 seasons, making him the most successful football coach in Northwestern’s history. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
With over 26 total seasons with the program, including four as a player, five as an assistant, and 17 as head coach, Fitzgerald also led the school to five of its six bowl victories in program history, as per ESPN Stats & Information research.
The unraveling of Fitzgerald’s tenure began when a former player, who has since transferred, reported the program’s hazing activities to the school in late 2022. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the former player informed ESPN on Sunday that hazing was systematically organized and widespread within Northwestern’s program, often orchestrated by a group of senior players known as the “Shrek gang.” The group would engage in a hazing ritual called “running,” typically targeting freshmen or younger players who made mistakes during practice. The former player revealed that, during these rituals, older players wearing masks would restrain the victim in a dark locker room and engage in sexualized behavior. The former player himself experienced such hazing as a freshman and stated that Fitzgerald signaled for players to be added to “Shrek’s list” with a specific clapping motion during practice. According to the former player, he witnessed Fitzgerald making this motion at least five times since the 2020 season.
During the six-month independent investigation commissioned by the university, which involved over 50 people currently or formerly affiliated with the program, the investigators found that the hazing claims were largely supported. However, they were unable to gather enough evidence to prove that the coaches were aware of the hazing activities. Schill reiterated this sentiment in his letter on Monday.
