NEWSLETTER
After a weekend of reporting that shook the Northwestern football program to its core, head football coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired by the University on Monday afternoon. Fitzgerald’s dismissal comes on the heels of fallout from the university’s investigation into hazing allegations within the football program.
Patrick K. Flowers and Matt Rooney collaborated on this story to provide readers with a timeline of events, reaction to the firing of Pat Fitzgerald, and what’s next for the Northwestern Football program and now former head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
We’ll start with the timeline of events.
Backstory
University President Michael Schill: “This has never been about one former student-athlete and his motives; this is much bigger than that.”
In a letter to the Northwestern University community detailing the decision to dismiss head coach Pat Fitzgerald, University President Michael Schill emphasizes that the decision was his and his alone and that it did not center on any singular allegation but rather the numerous allegations of hazing, forced sexual acts, and racism.
“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. Over the last 72 hours, I have spent a great deal of time in thought and in discussions with people who love our University — the Chair and members of our Board of Trustees, faculty leadership, students, alumni, and Coach Fitzgerald himself. I have also received many phone calls, text messages, and emails from those I know and those I don’t, sharing their thoughts. While I am appreciative of the feedback and considered it in my decision-making, ultimately, the decision to originally suspend Coach Fitzgerald was mine and mine alone, as is the decision to part ways with him.”
Schill noted that “eleven current or former football student-athletes acknowledged that hazing has been ongoing within the football program. 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.”
According to Schill, the hazing included forced participation, nudity, and sexualized acts of a degrading nature, in clear violation of Northwestern policies and values.
Pat Fitzgerald Reacts
Former Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald released a statement on Monday evening. In his statement, Fitzgerald said that he was surprised that University President Michael Schill decided to “revoke” an agreement between the two, referencing the original two-week unpaid suspension levied upon Fitzgerald on Friday.
“I was surprised when I learned that the president of Northwestern unilaterally revoked our agreement without any prior notification and subsequently terminated my employment.”
Fitzgerald went on to say that he has retained the services of Dan Webb from Winston & Strawn LLP, to “take the necessary steps to protect my rights in accordance with the law.”
Reaction
Most public reaction to the reports of hazing, forced nudity, racism, and other sexualized hazing acts out of the Northwestern Football program has been in line with what should be considered morally acceptable. However, not everyone is in agreement. Some have stated that Fitzgerald’s 17-year career speaks for itself and that most of his former players love and appreciate everything he did for them and helped them accomplish.
Many former NU football players and staffers spoke on social media over the last few days, claiming that the allegations against the football program were embellished or outright lies. Some have accused a former player and whistleblower of having a personal vendetta against Fitzgerald, citing that as the reason for the fallout we witnessed this weekend.
The problem is that for all of the positive testimony surrounding Pat Fitzgerald, there was enough to the contrary to warrant a change. And let’s be clear; it wasn’t just one player with a vendetta going after Fitzgerald. According to University President Michael Schill, eleven current and former football players acknowledged that hazing has been an ongoing issue within the program. Eleven, not one. Also, as Schill noted in Monday’s statement, some of those players were current players, debunking the notion that “the ENTIRE Northwestern Football team” unanimously discredited the allegations against Fitzgerald and the program.
The idea that there can be two (or more) truths within a scenario is something that humans often struggle to comprehend. It can be confirmed that Pat Fitzgerald was a friend, mentor, and leader to hundreds upon hundreds of Northwestern students that passed through his football program in the previous nearly two decades. It can also be true that some of those players were subjected to treatment that did not align with the treatment that others received but did not align with the values of the Northwestern Football program and the University at large. In that case, for all the good that Pat Fitzgerald has done for some, his failure to uphold the institutional values of the University (and common decency) can’t be overlooked.
Under Fitzgerald’s watch, players who passed through his program were subjected to treatment and conditions that would negatively impact their lives and that fell on Fitzgerald’s feet.
Make no mistake, before his firing on Monday; he was the most powerful man on campus. Not knowing about these incidents, which took place over a period of years, not days, is a failure that can’t be ignored.
Let’s also remember that Fitzgerald is not alone in responsibility here. University President Michael Schill admittedly issued Fitzgerald a two-week suspension after focusing on the wrong facts within the independent report and only reversed course after the story became a national headline. Under the watch of University President Michael Schill and Athletic Director Derrick Gragg, both second choices for their respective positions, the school is now knee-deep in a football and baseball scandal involving similar conduct that violates the University’s core values and the core values of basic humanity. For that reason, both Schill and Gragg should be held to the same standards and, ultimately, the same fate as Pat Fitzgerald.
If not for the brilliant and thorough work of the student journalists at The Daily Northwestern, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, and the behavior would undoubtedly have continued. So, a big hat tip to Nicole Markus, Alyce Brown, Cole Reynolds, and Divya Bhardwaj.
– Patrick K. Flowers
…
I’m not sure we’ll ever know the full story of what has been going on in the Northwestern football locker room, but I think David Haugh of 670 The Score summed it up best: either Pat Fitzgerald should have known or did know what was going on in his locker room. Fitz has owned the Northwestern football program for the last 17 seasons and insisted that everything that goes on in that program, good or bad, ultimately happens on his watch.
I find it hard to believe, however, if Fitzgerald was fired that, he should be the only one out at Northwestern. In addition to the hazing scandal in the Northwestern football program, Danny Parkins of 670 The Score also reported yesterday via several sources that Northwestern’s baseball program has a history of “abusive behavior” under head coach Jim Foster. Obviously, an investigation will be done there as well. But if it’s concluded that Foster was also at fault and he is relieved of his duties, you would think higher-ups at Northwestern who had multiple programs with these issues under their watch would be in hot water as well. But that’s a different story for a different day.
I’m in agreement with Patrick that there are probably two truths in this situation. I have no doubts that many of Fitzgerald’s former and current players love him as a coach and loved playing for him. I’m sure they see him as a mentor and leader in their lives. However, if the opposite side of the coin is indeed true and this hazing occurred under Fitz’s watch, then that will outweigh the good he did at Northwestern, and it can’t be overlooked.
– Matt Rooney
What’s Next?
We know that new defensive coordinator David Braun will serve as a liaison and manage the program for the time being. According to University President Michael Schill, “Derrick Gragg will announce the leadership for this upcoming football season.”
According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Northwestern fired Pat Fitzgerald for cause. With Fitzgerald already hiring legal counsel, you can bet a lawsuit is coming. One in which Northwestern will likely settle out of court because if they still haven’t released the third-party investigator’s report findings after all of this, they certainly won’t want all of the protected details coming out during testimony under oath in civil court.
Fitzgerald’s attorney Dan Webb told ESPN that he can’t understand how Northwestern could terminate Fitzgerald for cause:
“I cannot understand how you could terminate someone for cause when [Northwestern] admit that their own lawyer does not have any evidence that my client ever knew anything at all about any of the alleged hazing behavior.”
As far as Northwestern’s plans for the football team on the field this season, Athletic Director Derrick Gragg advised the coaches and staff of their status in a meeting. Gragg is set to meet with the team later Tuesday.
Defensive coordinator David Braun is managing the program as a liaison and could become the Wildcats’ interim coach, according to sources. But Gragg did not announce an interim coach in Tuesday’s meeting. Braun is one of five assistants who joined the team this offseason, so he has no ties to the previous NU football teams. Braun previously served as defensive coordinator at North Dakota State.
We have already begun to see committed prospects de-commit from Northwestern in the past 24 hours, and it appears that the University is in for a legal fight with now-former head coach Pat Fitzgerald. This story is far from over, and we will continue to provide the latest details and commentary as new developments arise.
