Northwestern football players pull out from Big Ten Media Day: Former Wildcats HC Pat Fitzgerald hazing scandal has more fallout

Following former Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald's firing weeks ago, the Northwestern football team removed themselves from Big Ten Media Day. The hazing scandal that rocked the University and left Fitzgerald unemployed has caused a ripple effect that continues to impact the Big Ten.

Hearing the Wildcats' players speak on the hazing incident and answering whether they thought the firing of former Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald was correct or not was to be one of the highlights of Big Ten Media Day. The players had their reasoning for skipping the event, much of which had to do with the fact that they anticipated their participation would result in a media circus.

What did the Northwestern players say? Let's find out.

The Northwestern players' public statement

Ohio State v Northwestern

Northwestern was to be represented by Bryce Gallagher, Rod Heard II, and Bryce Kirtz. The Big Ten Media Day - of the highlights of the off-season, could have turned into a bad experience for the scholar-athletes. The Wildcats released the following statement:

"After talking with our parents, our teammates, and Coach Braun, we have made the decision to not attend Big Ten Media Day. This was very difficult since we were excited about the opportunity to participate in this great Big Ten tradition, and to talk about the game we love and the season ahead."

"But given the recent events involving the Northwestern football program, we did not want our participation to be dominated by the hazing issue and steal the focus away from football and the upcoming season. We are proud members of the NU football program and want our on-field performance and off-field conduct to always reflect the values of the university and our fans. GO CATS!!!"

Northwestern Interim Head Coach David Braun backs his players

Wisconsin v Northwestern

David Braun has been thrust into the unenviable position of filling in for Pat Fitzgerald and dealing with all of the fallout from the hazing controversy. Braun has his players back on their decision to pull off the Big Ten Media Day, and issued the following statement:

"The decision from our players to forgo Big Ten Media Day was entirely theirs, and they approached it with a great deal of maturity and thoughtfulness. I'm fully supportive of both their reasoning and the decision itself, and I look forward to attending the event."

Where do we go from here?

Ohio State v Northwestern

The Northwestern football players, coaches, and university officials must answer questions regarding the hazing controversy all season long. These sorts of questions will place the program under additional scrutiny.

The Northwestern football players knew this was the type of environment they were walking into and chose wisely to avoid Big Ten Media Day altogether.