Caitlin Fitz, Elizabeth Hurd, Kate Masur, Susan Pearson, Amy Stanley and Jessica Winegar
On Monday night, Northwestern University President Michael Schill dismissed Wildcats head football coach Pat Fitzgerald in the wake of revelations of hazing and sexual humiliation in the football program. It was the right decision. But the problem is bigger than one person. Parting ways with Fitzgerald is only the first step.
We are a group of tenured Northwestern women faculty who have worked together for several years to improve the university. We have built careers here and care about what happens on campus. In 2021, we drew attention to abuses on the Northwestern cheer squad and to the misguided promotion of Mike Polisky to athletic director after he was implicated in Northwestern’s failure to adequately respond to the cheer team’s experiences of race and gender discrimination and harassment.
After Polisky resigned, the Faculty Senate passed resolutions calling for: information about an ongoing university investigation into events associated with the cheer squad; an assessment of the need for training and accountability measures within the athletics department; and a review of operations of the Office of Equity (now called Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance) and its handling of the cheer team incidents.
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Hazing in football program isn’t first athletic scandal at Northwestern
University leaders did not deliver. And here we are again: another scandal involving allegations of sexual abuse and harassment as well as negligence or indifference among administrators and coaches involving the athletics department.
The football hazing, according to President Schill’s statement, “included forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature.”
And it is not only football. Allegations against first-year head baseball coach Jim Foster were revealed Monday. A university HR document obtained by the Chicago Tribune found “sufficient evidence” that Foster “engaged in bullying and abusive behavior.”
Those close to the program said that “Foster would launch into expletive-laced tirades directed at staff” and that he “pressured injured players to speed up their timeline for returning from injury,” according to the Tribune.
There are also new allegations that football players have in the past experienced racist comments and harassment, as was the case with the cheer team.
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What is going on at Northwestern? Why doesn’t leadership seem to have learned more from past experiences with abuses and lack of accountability in athletics? Why can’t we manage our athletics department?
Make independent investigator’s findings public
The first step is transparency. We know from President Schill’s statement that at least 11 current or former football student-athletes acknowledged that hazing has been ongoing within the football program, according to a report by an independent investigator hired by the university last year.
Her findings should be made public to the fullest extent permitted by law, contingent on the consent of the victims. It is essential to learn what was known by Northwestern coaches, staff and administrators, and when, and what steps were taken, or not taken, to address hazing on the football team.
Even after Fitzgerald’s firing, Northwestern students, staff, alumni, faculty and donors deserve to know what occurred to ensure it never happens again.
The athletics department desperately needs long-term institutionalized oversight. Though staffed by professionals who care about athletes’ well-being, the potential for abuse in such high-pressure environments is immense. Students have been paying the price.
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In 2021, it was clear to us that many student-athletes felt uncomfortable coming forward with concerns about behaviors they witnessed or pressures they experienced, fearing retaliation or ostracism. Greater oversight of the athletics department is needed, through the creation of a dedicated ombudsperson or office, a widely publicized tip line or other structural changes.
Finally, Northwestern recently announced plans for an $800 million rebuild of the football stadium, Ryan Field, which it touts as promising an “accessible, sustainable, year-round community asset.” The university has engaged in a tireless campaign to enlist community support for this project. Part of the vision for the new stadium is to “help showcase Northwestern University to an even broader and more global audience” as USC and UCLA join the Big Ten.
Is Northwestern Athletics ready to be “showcased”? The university should halt the marketing and focus attention on reforming the athletics department first. The evidence of harassment and abuse across several programs – and high-level efforts to minimize these problems – suggests that we need to get our existing house in order before we expand it. And if the Ryan Field project does go forward, the university must ensure that we invest in our athletes equitably, supporting our women’s teams and ensuring that all athletes can thrive in an atmosphere of gender equity, free of abuse and harassment, as we pointed out in an open letter on May 17.
Today, Northwestern football is in the headlines, but this is just one story among many of how high-stakes sports can create a culture that enables exploitation, abuse and gender inequity. From track coaches in the Nike training programs to USA Gymnastics, the price of success in sports should never be paid with hazing, harassment or coercion.
As an institution with an educational mission and an ostensibly values-driven athletics program, Northwestern could seize the moment to showcase how beleaguered sports programs can turn around a culture of abuse. We hope the university embraces that opportunity.
Caitlin Fitz is an associate professor of history at Northwestern University; Elizabeth Hurd is a professor of political science and religious studies; Kate Masur is a professor of history; Susan Pearson is a professor of history; Amy Stanley is a professor of history; and Jessica Winegar is a professor of anthropology.
