Pat Fitzgerald, who starred as a linebacker at Northwestern and led the team as its head coach for 17 seasons, was fired Monday after disturbing details emerged about alleged hazing within the Wildcats’ program.
In a statement shared with ESPN later Monday, Fitzgerald maintained he had “no knowledge whatsoever of any form of hazing” within his program. He added that he has retained an attorney to “take the necessary steps to protect my rights in accordance with the law.”
Schill’s decision came after Fitzgerald, 48, was initially suspended Friday for two weeks without pay, one of several steps university administrators took after commissioning an independent investigation of allegations of hazing reported by an unidentified former player.
A day later, a Daily Northwestern report detailed additional allegations, and Schill wrote in a letter to the school’s community late Saturday that he “may have erred in weighing the appropriate sanction” for Fitzgerald. The former player, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to the student publication, said sexualized hazing activities took place in the locker room, including an activity known as “running,” which involved restraining a younger player while eight to 10 older ones took part in a sexualized act. “Running” in one form or another occurred during certain portions of the year, including Thanksgiving and Christmas — which players called “Runsgiving” and “Runsmas,” according to the Daily Northwestern.
“It’s done under this smoke and mirror of, ‘Oh, this is team bonding,’ but, no, this is sexual abuse,” the former player said in the report. A second player told the paper that he also saw the occurrences.
The former player alleged team members identified players for “running” by clapping their hands above their heads around the player, a gesture known by players as “the Shrek clap.” Fitzgerald, he said, made the signal during practice when players, especially freshmen, made mistakes. “Everyone would just be looking at each other and be like, ‘Bro, Fitz knows about this,’ because you wouldn’t take that action otherwise,” the former player told the Daily Northwestern. “Everyone joins in because he’s the head coach.”
In an interview with ESPN on Sunday, the former player, again granted anonymity, said he told Schill about the hazing, much of which he said was sexualized.
“Fitz absolutely knew about hazing in this program,” he said. “Fitz absolutely failed by not intervening. Fitz knew, and he should have made it stop; and if he truly did not know, he should not be the head coach. Either way, he should not be the head coach, because he is not monitoring and protecting the safety and well-being of student-athletes.”
A current player told ESPN that the former player whose allegations sparked the investigation told him of a plan to take down Fitzgerald, and “the sole goal was to see Coach Fitz rot in jail.” According to the current player, “none of that stuff happened in our locker room.”
In another Daily Northwestern report published Monday, three men who played for the team in the late 2000s corroborated that hazing existed within the program and recalled multiple racist actions and remarks made by coaches and players. Ramon Diaz Jr., a Latino offensive lineman who played for Northwestern from 2005 to 2008, said his experience on the team was hostile as a non-White player.
“I didn’t feel like I could be anything other than White,” Diaz told the publication. “We never felt like we could be ourselves. We had to fit in by being White or acting White or laughing at our own people.”
In his statement Monday, Schill noted that, thanks in part to “new media reporting,” at least a dozen current and former Wildcats have acknowledged that “systemic” hazing has been going on for years in the program.
“This has never been about one former student-athlete and his motives; this is much bigger than that,” wrote Schill, a legal scholar who has been in his position since September after previously serving for seven years as the president of the University of Oregon.
“Over the last two days, I have received hundreds and hundreds of emails describing how [Fitzgerald] has transformed the lives of current and former student-athletes,” Schill added. “However, as much as Coach Fitzgerald has meant to our institution and our student-athletes, we have an obligation — in fact a responsibility — to live by our values, even when it means making difficult and painful decisions such as this one. We must move forward.”
In his statement Monday (via ESPN), Fitzgerald said that Northwestern’s investigation “reaffirmed” that he did not know of the alleged hazing. After agreeing to the two-week suspension, he said he was “surprised” to learn that Schill “unilaterally revoked our agreement without any prior notification and subsequently terminated my employment."
On Saturday, current players rallied around Fitzgerald in a statement attributed to “The ENTIRE Northwestern football team.” They denied the former player’s allegations, calling them “exaggerated and twisted into lies” made “with the intention of harming our program and [to] tarnish the reputation of our dedicated players and coaching staff.” The statement also noted “an independent third-party” had conducted a six-month investigation, and the university “took the matter seriously and engaged in comprehensive interviews with current and former players and staff.” The report stemming from the investigation has not been made public because Northwestern is a private institution.
“It is crucial to note that our Head Coach, Pat Fitzgerald, was not involved in any of the alleged incidents in any way, shape, or form,” the statement read. “Coach Fitzgerald had no knowledge of these allegations until they were brought to his attention during the investigation. Throughout his tenure, Coach Fitzgerald has consistently prioritized the well-being and development of his players, and we stand behind him in his unwavering commitment to our team.”
Fitzgerald compiled a 110-101 record in 17 seasons as head coach, leading the Wildcats to 10 bowl games. Northwestern appeared in only six bowl games in its history before Fitzgerald’s tenure began in 2006. In 2021, he signed a 10-year contract extension that ran through 2030.
As a standout player for the Wildcats almost three decades ago, Fitzgerald earned major national awards in 1995 and 1996 for his individual defensive prowess, and he helped lead the team to a stunning Rose Bowl appearance.
“As a former Wildcat player who played a part in the remarkable transformation of our program," Fitzgerald said Monday, "it was a tremendous honor to have the opportunity to lead the team. I take great pride in the achievements we accomplished during my tenure, both on and off the field.”