Northwestern has suspended coach Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay following an independent investigation into allegations of hazing within the Wildcats’ football program. The school announced the decision Friday.
The outside investigation began last December under the direction of Maggie Hickey, the former inspector general of Illinois. In late November, the university received a complaint alleging instances of hazing occurring inside the Wildcats’ normal locker room and at “Camp Kenosha” in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where the program has held preseason camp.
“Hazing in any form is unacceptable and goes against our core values at Northwestern, where we strive to make the University a safe and welcoming environment for all of our students,” Northwestern president Michael Schill said in a statement announcing the decision. “Our athletics programs are held to the highest standards, and in this case, we failed to meet them. I expect that today’s actions will prevent this from ever happening again.”
The school’s longtime coach and one of the most awarded players in program history, Fitzgerald will begin serving his suspension immediately, the university said.
“I was very disappointed when I heard about the allegations of hazing on our football team,” Fitzgerald said. “Although I was not aware of the alleged incidents, I have spoken to University officials, and they informed me of a two-week suspension, effective immediately.
“Northwestern football prides itself on producing not just athletes, but fine young men with character befitting the program and our University. We hold our student-athletes and our program to the highest standards; we will continue to work to exceed those standards moving forward.”
According to the complaint, football players would pressure teammates into participating in hazing activities. The university said details of the investigation will remain confidential.
While the investigation found that student-athletes provided differing perspectives about the hazing, the “investigation team determined that the complainant’s claims were largely supported by the evidence gathered during the investigation, including separate and consistent first-person accounts from current and former players,” according to an executive summary of the investigation.
The investigation “did not uncover evidence pointing to specific misconduct by any individual football player or coach” but found that “participation in or knowledge of the hazing activities was widespread across football players.”
And while the investigation did not find sufficient evidence suggesting the coaching staff was aware of any hazing, “there had been significant opportunities to discover and report the hazing conduct,” according to the summary.
Investigators spoke with more than 50 people currently or formerly associated with the football program and reviewed emails and survey data dating to 2014.
In addition to suspending Fitzgerald without pay, the university will adopt a series of changes suggested by the investigation, including the permanent discontinuation of practices and events at “Camp Kenosha.”
The school will also add an independent monitor to the locker room who does not report to the football staff and create an online reporting tool for student-athletes to report allegations of hazing or misconduct.
“Northwestern Athletics prides itself on providing a world-class student-athlete experience, which includes a safe and respectful environment for all of our students, coaches and staff,” athletics director Derrick Gragg said in a statement.
“We respect the courage of the individuals who came forward to make us aware of the issue, and we vow to do our part to create a more positive environment moving forward.”
