Northwestern head football coach Pat Fitzgerald has been fired after multiple accusations of hazing came to light only days ago, according to reports.
Fitzgerald had been serving a two-week suspension without pay since July 6. Though, after two former players brought forth additional information about the alleged hazing – including allegations that the hazing was sexual in nature and Fitzgerald was aware of it – the university decided to terminate Fitzgerald’s employment.
Head coach Pat Fitzgerald of the Northwestern Wildcats reacts after the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ryan Field on October 18, 2019, in Evanston, Illinois. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
The move comes despite the results of an investigation conducted by the university, which found no conclusive evidence that Fitzgerald was aware of the hazing. However, the same report suggested “significant opportunities” for the coaching staff to “discover and report the hazing conduct.”
Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald speaks to his team after the Aer Lingus College Football Classic 2022 match between Northwestern Wildcats and Nebraska Cornhuskers at Aviva Stadium on August 27, 2022, in Dublin, Ireland. (Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)
It appears that the testimony of one former player, in particular, seemed to impact the school’s decision.
As Breitbart’s Warner Todd Huston reports:
The former player claimed that team members practiced what they called ‘running,’ in which a player would be held down by a group of fellow students while they dry-humped him from behind.
‘It’s just a really abrasive and barbaric culture that has permeated throughout that program for years on end now,’ the player added.
The player added that it was common for players to be targeted by others when players gathered around a student and clapped their hands above the targeted student’s head.
The player also alleged that coach Fitzgerald knew about the hazing and approved of it.
‘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 player insisted. ‘Everyone joins in because he’s the head coach.’
Fitzgerald is one of the longest-tenured coaches in all of college football. He played for Northwestern during his time as a player. He was an assistant for the Wildcats for five years before taking over as head coach, a position he has held for 17 years.