Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern University football's favorite son and its winningest coach, has been fired following an investigation that as of Monday morning had prompted only a two-week suspension without pay.
The linebacker who played an integral part in the Wildcats' improbable back-to-back Big Ten championships in 1995 and 1996 before coaching NU to Big Ten West Division titles as recently as 2018 and 2020 was believed by some to be aware of hazing of a sexual nature within his player ranks without ever addressing the situation.
As reported by ABC affiliate WLS in Chicago, Northwestern president Michael Schill released a statement Monday afternoon, saying, "This afternoon, I informed Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald that he was being relieved of his duties effective immediately."
Schill had previously said he may have made a mistake in the punishment handed down to Fitzgerald — the two-week suspension without pay — as disturbing hazing allegations continue to emerge from a growing number of former and current players. An investigation by the Washington D.C. law firm ArentFox Schiff began more than six months ago.
Related: Northwestern Suspends Pat Fitzgerald Amid Football Hazing Claims
According to WLS, Schill said during the course of the investigation that 11 Wildcat football players past and present acknowledged the hazing has been ongoing, with former players confirming "the hazing was systemic dating back many years."
Schill described the hazing as "forced participation, nudity, and sexualized act of a degrading nature," which clearly violated school policy. Though the president had no knowledge that the hazing caused physical injury to anyone, it was well-known by many in the program, Schill said, adding there was no "credible evidence" that Fitzgerald himself knew. But in the end, that didn't matter.
"The head coach is ultimately responsible for the culture of his team," Schill wrote in his message to the Northwestern community. "The hazing we investigated was widespread and clearly not a secret within the program, providing Coach Fitzgerald with the opportunity to learn what was happening. Either way, the culture in Northwestern Football, while incredible in some ways, was broken in others."
Over the weekend, The Daily Northwestern student-run newspaper ran an interview with a former player who described in agonizing detail sexualized hazing practices he said routinely take place inside the locker room. One common practice, called "running," involved a younger player being restrained while eight to 10 older players engaged in a sexualized act in the locker room. Versions of "running" took place during certain portions of the year, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Another ritual was called the "car wash," during which players had to pass naked through a gauntlet of other naked players — their genitals sometimes touching.
"It's a shocking experience as a freshman to see your fellow freshman teammates get ran, but then you see everybody bystanding in the locker room," the former player told The Daily Northwestern. "It's just a really abrasive and barbaric culture that has permeated throughout that program for years on end now."
There has been pushback. WLS reported that a letter to ESPN purportedly signed by the entire Northwestern football team calls the allegations "exaggerated and twisted," adding that "Northwestern football players do not tolerate hazing."
"Hazing goes against our values of respect, integrity and personal growth," the letter said, according to WLS. "It is disheartening to see that the allegations brought forth against our team have been exaggerated and twisted into lies. These fabrications have been made with the intention of harming our program and tarnish the reputation of our dedicated players and coaching staff. We firmly deny the validity of these accusations and stand united in our assertion that they do not reflect the true character of our team."
Future team leadership announcements will be coming soon, Schill said, as reported by WLS.
