Former OL Ramon Diaz speaks up against the bullies he faced at Northwestern University: “I was mocked and ridiculed.”

Ramon Diaz's ordeal at Northwestern University is the latest to emerge in a series of revelations about a hazing culture within the school's football program.

Remember that former head coach, Pat Fitzgerald, was fired following a story by the Daily Northwestern that featured anonymous testimonies of victims of the hazing.

Since then, more victims have come out to tell their stories and file lawsuits against the university. Diaz's was the 10th lawsuit filed against the university since Fitzgerald's sacking.

Diaz's experience of hazing within the Northwestern football program dates back to 2005, when he was just 17. His experience goes back the furthest among the testimonies given so far. This implies that the hazing went on for at least 17 years between 2005 and 2022.

Ramon Diaz on his experience at Northwestern

Recounting his experience to the Associated Press, Ramon Diaz said, “I was mocked and ridiculed.” Speaking on Fitzgerald's claim that he was not aware of such hazing, he said,

“As a parent, as a clinician, as a former Division I athlete, I cannot imagine how the athletic department and the coaching staff did not know.”

Diaz recalled being the only Latino offensive lineman on the Northwestern football roster at the time. Some of the racist remarks towards him came from members of the coaching staff. For instance, he remembers being told the following by the offensive line coach at the time, Bret Ingalls:

“I know you grew up on dirt floors, but here we keep things clean.”

He also remembers Ingalls telling him:

“Ramon, you can get a job easily in summer mowing the lawn or painting houses.”

Black players were also at the receiving end of the racism that pervaded the team. Diaz had a black teammate who was told by another player to “do that monkey dance you do.”

A former quarterback who graduated more recently had said earlier that the hazing was worse for players of color. Diaz's experience at Northwestern affected his mind so badly that he reportedly became suicidal at a point.

He began to see a therapist to be treated for depression. After over a decade, he's still not over what happened.

Ramon Diaz said,

“I just remember the laughter. No one stopped it. And the players felt enabled because of the atmosphere created by the coaches.”

Calls have been made to introduce measures that can protect student-athletes from bullies in the wake of the Northwestern scandal.