Pat Fitzgerald's firing over the hazing scandal engulfing Northwestern University's football program has caused some to question the proposed $800 million renovation of Ryan Field, the Wildcats' home football venue.
As reported by CBS affiliate WBBM in Chicago, construction of the facility in suburban Evanston was supposed to begin after the 2023 season, with the stadium reopening in 2026. However, those opposed to the project — including season-ticket holders, alums and faculty members — have argued Northwestern must address allegations of hazing and harassment more fully before it breaks ground on a new stadium.
"The timing now is wrong," said professor Susan Pearson, one of a group of Northwestern faculty members asking for a pause on the new Ryan Field proposal. "Say we care more about your well-being than we do about the notoriety, the fame of our football program."
Pearson and five other faculty members co-authored a memo to university president Michael Schill and athletic director Derrick Gragg.
"We believe the university should halt that planning and marketing process until this crisis is satisfactorily resolved," she said.
To these faculty, that means independent oversight of the athletic department, something they've been asking for since news broke of a separate scandal in 2021: claims of sexual harassment made by members of Northwestern's cheerleading squad. Moreover, results of an internal probe made public this week revealed "abusive behavior" by the Wildcats' baseball coach, though that developing scandal presumably is not part of the faculty memo.
"A lot of us faculty members feel like it's really time for the administration to try to get out ahead of these problems," Pearson said.
Alumni and investors have also been speaking out about the Fitzgerald situation specifically, sending memos of their own, according to Sabrina Franza of WBBM.
One ticket holder for more than 40 years wrote he "can't believe how badly it has been handled."
Others have supported Fitzgerald, calling him one of the "best guys in the coaching profession."
WBBM also reached out to large investors on the project, including the stadium's namesake, Patrick and Shirley Ryan, whose family has donated $480 million to various initiatives at Northwestern, including the planned football stadium rebuild. They did not respond to requests for comment.
In a 2014 video, Fitzgerald said his program had a zero-tolerance policy for hazing.
"We've really thought deep about how we want to welcome our new family members into our programs and into our organizations; hazing should have nothing to do with it," the coach said at the time, as reported by WBBM.
