The Northwestern Wildcats have been under a ton of scrutiny following an investigation into hazing incidents going on within the football program led by head coach Pat Fitzgerald. A former player then came forward to reveal details of the disturbing hazing incidents, which led to Northwestern reconsidering its position on Fitzgerald’s job status on Monday.
The university previously issued Pat Fitzgerald a two-week suspension after the investigation was first reported. However, as more and more ugly details of the hazing emerged, it appeared very clear that they may have misjudged his sanction.
Northwestern president Michael Schill issued a statement on Saturday as more information emerged saying that he believed he may have been wrong about his initial punishment for Fitzgerald.
Even more disturbing details emerged on Monday about alleged racism that occurred under Fitzgerald’s watch, which seems like it was the final straw.
Further, he said Black players were forced to cut their hair a certain way, also noting Black coaches were forced to do the same with a threat of unemployment. https://t.co/mLjCSapfPf
— Iggy Dowling (@idowling11) July 10, 2023
Shortly following this news, Northwestern finally made the decision to relieve Fitzgerald of his duties, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Considering all that has emerged about Pitzgerald’s program as of late, many fans wholeheartedly agreed with the decision.
https://twitter.com/GabeBider/status/1678485983128612864
Fitzgerald will leave behind an extremely complicated legacy at Northwestern, excelling at times when it came to wins and losses on the field. He notably helped the program reach multiple double-digit win seasons in his tenure, which is something that the program hadn’t done since 1995.
However, if these allegations are to be believed against him, he clearly contributed to a ton of damage psychologically to some of his former players that were victims of hazing and/or racism, which is likely what he will be remembered most for.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.