I always found the idea of Pat Fitzgerald leaving Northwestern for the NFL to be kind of ludicrous.
He was perfect for Northwestern and vice versa, a walking pep rally of purple pride who can lead a team to an Outback Bowl or two. Could he have gotten an NFL head coaching gig? Sure. Would he have succeeded? I’m skeptical.
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Now, Fitzgerald might have to leave his longtime home at Northwestern for football purgatory, and I’m not talking about the Chicago Bears.
On Saturday, the Daily Northwestern published a sickening account of hazing in the football program based on an interview with an anonymous player. It resembled the kind of story a college newspaper prints about a hardcore, out-of-control fraternity.
A statement attributed to the Northwestern football team denied the severity of the allegations later Saturday.
Statement from Northwestern’s entire team pushing back against the allegations of hazing, which they call “exaggerated and twisted.” They also say coach Pat Fitzgerald had no knowledge or involvement in the allegations. pic.twitter.com/lMOAgCe0EB
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) July 9, 2023
Call me a cynic, but while this was signed “the ENTIRE football team,” sentences like this read like a PR professional’s spin: “We are committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment that promotes the well-being and development of every individual on our team.”
Let’s say the account (which was backed up by another anonymous player) given to the Daily Northwestern was exaggerated. That can certainly happen when you’re relying on the memory and reliability of sources. But as more details get reported, it becomes harder to believe in exaggeration:
The former Northwestern player sent ESPN a screenshot of a whiteboard, which he says was in the middle of the locker room. Image is headlined "SHREK'S LIST" and includes a list of players' names and several bulleted items, including "naked slingshot" and "naked bear crawls."
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) July 9, 2023
The account also comes a day after the university announced the end of its funded outside investigation of a whistleblower’s accusations of hazing and bad behavior. In that six-month investigation, led by Chicago-based lawyer Maggie Hickey of ArentFox Schiff, it was found “that while current and former players varied on their perspectives about the conduct, the whistleblower’s claims were largely supported by the evidence.”
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While it was eye-rolling that the school revealed it only suspended Fitzgerald for two weeks in July before training camp, it’s more damning that the investigation’s conclusion resulted in a mandatory independent watchdog to observe the locker room.
What does that say about Fitzgerald’s leadership that his program, the one he’s been in charge of for 17 years, now requires a locker-room monitor to make sure his players don’t abuse their teammates? How can Fitzgerald look at himself in the mirror and say he’s still doing a good job?
“I was very disappointed when I heard about the allegations of hazing on our football team,” Fitzgerald was quoted as saying in the university statement. “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.”
On Saturday evening, following the Daily’s story, Northwestern president Michael Schill, who was inaugurated in June, released a statement expressing that he “may have erred in weighing the appropriate sanction” for Fitzgerald. He noted that he focused on what Fitzgerald couldn’t have been proven to know, rather than what he should’ve known and that he would be talking with university leadership. That’s a good first step.
Here’s the full statement from University Pres. Michael Schill. https://t.co/4iKmUMsEQk pic.twitter.com/Ti2oOG0Lo1
— Nicole Markus (@nicolejmarkus) July 9, 2023
Fitzgerald sure looks like a guy who lost control of his football program. And what else is he responsible for?
Let’s say Fitzgerald really was in the dark about the severity of these allegations. I’m not old enough yet to forget that teenagers and young adults often lead secret lives away from authority figures. The culture of hazing in colleges is insidious. But Fitzgerald is supposed to be the adult in charge. Did he not want to know what was going on?
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If he didn’t know about it, he failed at his job. If he did know, he shouldn’t be in a position of responsibility.
And whatever is going on at Northwestern, the culture is not a winning one. In fact, it sure seems like, despite that gleaming new practice facility and other investments, Fitzgerald’s program is getting worse, not better.
Last season, Northwestern went 1-11. The program has three 1-8 Big Ten seasons out of the last four. Maybe everything is adding up, the culture, the leadership, the decision-making, and it’s all a negative.
While it’s easy to salivate over Northwestern’s space-age training facility overlooking Lake Michigan, I always thought it was excessive and indicative of not only the misplaced priorities at colleges across the country, but also the hypocrisy of college athletics — where, until recently, everyone got paid except the actual labor.
Fitzgerald is not only the football coach, but also the face of the athletic department. And right now, Northwestern is trying to finalize an $800 million renovation of decrepit Ryan Field. Another building should fix all of the program’s problems, right?
What a mess.
I don’t envy Schill and new athletic director Derrick Gragg. It’s also important to remember this story comes two years after a cheerleader sued the school. The backlash that followed cost a longtime athletics administrator at Northwestern the AD job. It’s clear by Schill’s reaction Saturday night that the school knows something else has to be done.
It’s wishful thinking, perhaps, but if Fitzgerald really cared about Northwestern, he would take his part of the mess out of Gragg’s hands. He would apologize and quit. Because maybe he’s not the right guy for the job anymore.
Fitzgerald used to be known as the guy who you would send your son to play for, regardless of wins and losses. But how can someone say that right now?
(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
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