The purple personnel broom has not been gathering much dust this week. Northwestern University fired its second major sports head coach in four days Thursday, when it announced its baseball program will no longer be led by Jim Foster due to allegations he bullied his players.
Accusations by players of a toxic environment was also behind the firing Monday of Northwestern head football coach Pat Fitzgerald, the winningest head coach in school history. Unlike Fitzgerald, who had led his Wildcats for 17 years, Foster had been in Evanston little more than one year.
Related: Northwestern Fires Pat Fitzgerald as Hazing Scandal Grows
"Nothing will ever be more important to Northwestern than providing its students a place that allows them to develop in the classroom, in the community, and in competition at the absolute highest level, and building a culture which allows our staff to thrive," athletic director Derrick Gragg said in a statement, as reported by ESPN. "This has been an ongoing situation and many factors were considered before reaching this resolution. As the Director of Athletics, I take ownership of our head coaching hires and we will share our next steps as they unfold."
Foster — who was hired by Gragg in June 2022 from Army, where he posted a 162-140 record in six seasons — had been investigated by the university's human resources department before this season. The probe found evidence that Foster "engaged in bullying and abusive behavior," according to a document obtained by the Chicago Tribune, and made an inappropriate comment about a female staff member.
The document was set to be shared with athletic department leaders to "take remedial action" against Foster, but he coached the team throughout a 10-40 season without any formal discipline, according to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, citing the Tribune report. Several coaches left the program in February, and a reported 16 players entered the transfer portal at season's end.
According to Ritteberg, Chicago radio station 670 The Score reported that Foster discouraged players from seeking medical attention for injuries and that players hid their injuries from the coach. The station also reported that Northwestern coaches and other staff members attempted to meet with Gragg but were denied an opportunity.
A source told ESPN that Foster likely would have been fired earlier, but Northwestern's legal and human resources departments were focused on the Fitzgerald firing, which resulted from a months-long investigation into hazing without the football program.
Related: Fitzgerald Attorney: Northwestern Breached Agreements
