Northwestern parted ways with head football coach Pat Fitzgerald amid accusations of incessant hazing among players in the program under his leadership and that he allegedly didn’t do anything to stop it, according to multiple reports.
Despite current players writing a letter in support of Fitzgerald – who had been the Wildcats’ head coach since the 2006 season and is one of the best football players to have ever played in the program – the university decided to split with him.
The Athletic and ESPN first reported the recent development.
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Earlier in the day, former Northwestern players brought up allegations of racism from Fitzgerald in an interview with The Daily Northwestern.
FILE – Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald talks to reporters during an NCAA college football news conference at the Big Ten Conference media days, at Lucas Oil Stadium, Tuesday, July 26, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Ramon Diaz Jr., a former offensive lineman who played for Northwestern from 2005-2008 told the outlet he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in part from what he allegedly dealt with at the school.
Diaz and another player also alleged that a former offensive line coach told a Black player that he “wasn’t in the hood anymore” and said he had a “gangster walk.”
A former player told ESPN on Sunday that he was sure Fitzgerald knew of the hazing.
“Fitz absolutely knew about hazing in this program,” the former player told ESPN. “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.”
Fitzgerald had been the head coach at Northwestern since 2006 and led them to three 10-win seasons over the course of his tenure. He was suspended for two weeks as the university gathered more information about the allegations.
But once more allegations and details came out, it appeared a full split had to occur.
Head coach Pat Fitzgerald of the Northwestern Wildcats runs off the field after losing to the Wisconsin Badgers at Ryan Field on October 08, 2022 in Evanston, Illinois. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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Northwestern said Friday that after a six-month 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.
University president Michael Schill initially wrote a letter to community and acknowledged focusing “too much on what the report concluded (Fitzgerald) didn’t know and not enough on what he should have known.” He said he planned on speaking with university leadership, the board of trustees and leaders of the faculty senate to determine the next steps.
“As the head coach of one of our athletics programs, 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,” Schill wrote.
“He failed to uphold that commitment and I failed to sufficiently consider that failure in levying a sanction.”
Pat Fitzgerald, head coach of the Northwestern Wildcats speaks during the Big Ten Football Media Days at Lucas Oil Stadium on July 22, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
The school first learned of the hazing allegations in late 2022 and the former player who brought up the complaint spoke to investigators earlier this year as part of probe launched by the school. The report concluded the claims could be “largely supported by the evidence” but couldn’t determine whether the coaching staff knew of the instances.
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The school also said preseason camps in Wisconsin would be discontinued. Additionally, the locker room would be monitored by an official outside the purview of the coaching staff and the school would create a tool for anonymously reporting hazing. Coaches, staff and athletes would also be required to take anti-hazing training and the school would form a group to report on policy, culture, training and enforcement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
