What to know about the football hazing scandal

Reports of football player hazing sent shockwaves through Northwestern University, causing the dismissal of head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Here’s what to know about the reaction from former players and students, as well as problems with the baseball program and next steps for the university and its athletic department.

Pat Fitzgerald was fired as a North West football coach July 10 after a hazing scandal tarnished the program he helped build.

In a report sent by email to the university communityChairman Michael Schill said he told Fitzgerald on Monday afternoon “he was relieved of his duties with immediate effect,” citing a “broken” culture in the program.

“The damage to our institution is significant,” Schill said, “as is the harm to some of our students.”

Originally Fitzgerald received a two-week suspension without pay from the university on July 7 after an outside investigation confirmed a former player’s account of hazing by teammates. The report said the coaching staff had “significant opportunities to uncover and report hazing conduct”, which the report did not detail.

After the student newspaper The Daily Northwestern, published a former player’s account of sexualized hazing activity the next day, Schill said in a letter to the Northwest community he made an error in judgment and would reverse the sanctions against Fitzgerald. Two days later, Fitzgerald was out.

The external investigation found 11 current or former players who corroborated the hazing allegations, according to Schill’s statement, and subsequent media reports revealed other former players who “confirmed that hazing had been systemic for many years.”

Northwestern’s anti-hazing policies and prevention tools are extensive, including an online hazing training course that all new undergraduates must complete during their first term of enrollment.

Despite these measures, a investigation into hazing by college footballers recently revealed a toxic team culture that has persisted for yearsunchecked.

As a child, Ramon Diaz dreamed of studying at Northwestern and playing football for the Big Ten school.

Yet he said the the experience left him traumatized from the hazingrampant racial slurs and a generally toxic culture, which he says endured from 2005 to 2009 as an offensive lineman.

Diaz recounted an incident where another player once shaved the words “Cinco de Mayo” into his hair. He remembers coming off the pitch, muddy after playing football like the rest of the team, being singled out by a coach and saying: “I know you grew up on dirt floors, but here we have to keep things clean.”

“You don’t know the power dynamics until you’re there,” he told the Tribune. “I had everything to lose if I spoke.”

Baseball head coach Jim Foster has been fired by the university on July 13. Foster’s dismissal was announced to the players during a video call with Schill and sporting director Derrick Gragg, sources told the Tribune. Assistant coach Brian Anderson will replace Foster at the helm.

Current and former players, alumni and people close to the baseball program told the Chicago Tribune that they alerted the university administration – including Schill and athletic director Derrick Gragg – to problematic behavior of first-year baseball head coach Jim Foster starting last fall before the team kicked off its 2023 season. At least some of those complaints have resulted in an HR investigation.

The university’s investigation found “sufficient evidence” that Foster “engaged in bullying and abusive behavior,” according to an internal HR document obtained by the Tribune. The inquest later concluded that Foster “made an inappropriate comment regarding a female staff member and spoke negatively about her staff to other staff members”.

The HR document says the results of the investigation have been shared with Department of Sports and Recreation leaders “to take appropriate corrective action.” It’s unclear what action the university took against Foster, who joined Northwestern after six years at Army West Point.

Anderson was a 2003 Chicago White Sox first-round draft pick and a member of the 2005 World Series championship team.

The turmoil surrounding the football and baseball programs has shone the spotlight on a key administrator: Athletic Director Derrick Gragg.

Gragg was hired as athletic director after initially turning down the opportunity in the spring of 2021. But after Hiring Mike Polisky sparked immediate backlash due to his position as one of four defendants with the university in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by northwestern cheerleader, Gragg changed his mind. He was appointed to the post on June 4, just three weeks after Polisky’s exit.

With his new role, Gragg became the first black athletic director in college history.

By the time Gragg arrived at Evanston in 2021, Fitzgerald had already been a mainstay of the North West football program for two decades and had signed a 10-year extension a few months before Gragg was hired.

The athletic director is usually responsible for hiring and firing head coaches. However, Schill has spoken on behalf of the university thus far, releasing the original statement on Fitzgerald’s suspension and saying he was the one who relieved Fitzgerald of his duties.

Gragg has not made a public statement about Fitzgerald’s status or the football hazing investigation.

Many questions remain unanswered in Evanston.

Fitzgerald is investigating potential breach of contract claims against the school, his lawyer confirmed.

“Northwestern University made some unusual and bizarre decisions last week that seriously damaged Pat Fitzgerald’s reputation,” attorney Dan Webb told the Tribune.

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The dismissal was a violation of Fitzgerald’s employment contract, Webb said. The initial suspension was the result of an agreement between the school and Fitzgerald — which was also severed when the school fired him, Webb said.

Webb, a former US attorney, brings a significant profile to the case. His cases are making headlines: He recently defended Fox News in a lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems. The hiring of such a prominent figure has led to speculation in legal circles that Fitzgerald may be trying to insulate himself against prosecution or even criminal liability.

The scandal has also sparked calls for temporarily halt the proposed $800 million reconstruction of Ryan Field.

“If we invest $800 million in a new football stadium, it will distract university leaders from the most pressing issue they face, which appears to be a cultural issue in Northwestern athletics,” said Caitlin Fitz, a Northwestern history professor. 11 July. “I think we need to get our own house in order first, before we invest $800 million in building a new one.”

Fitz is one of six faculty members who sent a July 10 letter to Schill, Gragg and board chairman Peter Barris asking that stadium reconstruction be put on hold. Community groups, students and others expressed similar sentiments.

The long-term ramifications of the PR crisis remains to be seen – from potentially tarnishing the reputation of the prestigious research university to galvanizing opposition against the planned reconstruction of an $800 million football stadium following so much controversy over the sports programme.

“I like to think that this will not harm the reputation of our academics. But it’s concerning,” said Ceci Rodgers, chairman of Northwestern’s faculty senate. “The question this might raise in the minds of parents of prospective students is, does this university adequately address concerns or allegations that impact the safety of my child, not just athletic students, but all students?”

Originally published: Jul 13, 2023 at 10:45 am