More than 1,000 former Northwestern University athletes have signed an open letter defending an athletics culture they say is not represented or defined by recent hazing and abuse allegations levied against some of the school's programs.
The letter, obtained Thursday by ESPN, is signed by ex-Northwestern athletes in every varsity sport at the school, including 277 football players and four football managers. Each sport is represented by more than 10 alumni signees, and many have more than 40, ESPN senior writer Adam Rittenberg reported. The letter's authors include athletes who graduated from Northwestern between 1954 and 2023.
More than 1,000 former Northwestern University athletes have signed an open letter defending an athletics culture they say is not represented or defined by recent hazing and abuse allegations levied against some of the school's programs.
The letter, obtained Thursday by ESPN, is signed by ex-Northwestern athletes in every varsity sport at the school, including 277 football players and four football managers. Each sport is represented by more than 10 alumni signees, and many have more than 40, ESPN senior writer Adam Rittenberg reported. The letter's authors include athletes who graduated from Northwestern between 1954 and 2023.
The letter condemns hazing "in any form," but the former athletes felt compelled to speak out following a wave of lawsuits and other allegations outlining widespread problems at the university.
A months-long investigation into alleged hazing within the football program culminated in Northwestern firing former football star and 17-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald on July 10. The university is being sued by more than 10 football players, as well as athletes in other sports who allege abusive cultures in their respective programs.
Related: Fitzgerald Named in Lawsuit as Northwestern Launches New Probes
On Aug. 1, the university announced that it had hired former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to conduct an investigation of the overall athletics culture and the way the department implements accountability mechanisms, Rittenberg reported.
"The allegations being made are troubling and we support the University's efforts to fully investigate these claims," the alumni letter reads. "However, these allegations do not represent or define the overall athletics culture at Northwestern."
The former athletes cited "a remarkable culture that fosters excellence in sports, academics and community development."
"The opportunity to compete at this level in both the classroom and in our respective sports is unique and deeply valued," the letter reads. "These experiences were the building blocks for each of our lives after graduation. This is the Northwestern we proudly came to know and appreciate, and for which we are immensely grateful.
"We strongly affirm the positive experiences we had at Northwestern and, if offered, would do it all over again."
Alexis Prousis, a two-time tennis All-American and NCAA champion, said she and other former Northwestern athletes "share the anger, sadness, and frustration" following the allegations of hazing and mistreatment.
"We condemn hazing of any kind and support the victims during their time of healing and recovery," said Prousis, a past president of Northwestern's N Club, which connects former athletes to the school. "What we must remember throughout this difficult time is that the actions of a few do not and should not define the University and Athletics as a whole."
