Getty Image / Michael Hickey
It’s been an absolutely wild last three days for the Northwestern football program. Allegations resulting in an investigation of hazing inside the program have unleashed a firestorm that threatens to change the program forever.
On Friday, Northwestern decided to suspend head coach Pat Fitzgerald two weeks without pay after select findings of an investigation commissioned by the incident were released to the public. But, that’s where the drama started.
Many thought the punishment was light to begin with. Then, a bombshell report by the student newspaper at Northwestern that had allegedly spoken to one of the whistleblowers who detailed the hazing, which was pretty serious. And, over the 36 hours, more and more evidence and testimonials have come out that support the allegations.
On the flip side, a letter purported to be written by the Northwestern football team defended head coach Pat Fitzgerald and said the allegations were untrue.
Northwestern has pledged to reconsider the punishment handed down as part of the investigation.
But, late Sunday evening, a new report by Adam Rittenberg detailed another former player claiming the hazing was true, and also a player saying it was not true, and that the initial whistleblower was embellishing. Take a look.
“Fitz absolutely knew about hazing in this program,” the former player told ESPN. “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.”
It went on to say:
A current Northwestern player, who asked to remain anonymous, also told ESPN on Sunday that the former player, whose hazing allegations late in 2022 launched the investigation, informed him of a detailed plan with the sole objective to take down Fitzgerald. The current player on Sunday relayed a conversation he said he had early this year with the former player to Northwestern trustees and other influential university figures.
“He just kept emphasizing, ‘Yeah, it’ll be OK. I’m just trying to get Coach Fitz fired,'” the current player told ESPN. “I don’t think he ever acknowledged what he’s saying is not true. It was just like, ‘I might embellish or exaggerate to get Coach Fitz fired.’ He said his sole goal was to see Coach Fitz rot in jail.
“The truth is none of that stuff happened in our locker room.”
The current player said the former player told him he would go public with detailed allegations if the university’s investigation did not result in Fitzgerald’s dismissal and referenced the 2021 situation involving athletic director Mike Polisky, who stepped down amid media and public pressure nine days after being promoted. Polisky had been named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by a former Northwestern cheerleader.
“He was thinking he could do the same with Coach Fitz, if he went to The Daily Northwestern and went public with it,” the current player said.
Told of the current player’s account, the former player said he wanted to “absolutely seek action to get Fitz out of the program” but that he had other objectives.
This situation with Northwestern football is still obviously developing, and BroBible will provide continuous coverage of developments.