The massive Northwestern lawsuit was joined by Ramon Diaz, a former lineman who unpacked more details about the Northwestern University hazing scandal on Wednesday.
The allegations by Diaz further reinforce the claims by former student-athletes that the nature of the hazing took on a racial and sexual component.
The Northwestern University hazing scandal has rocked the college world as more lurid details emerge, showing just how deeply ingrained the culture was.
Diaz, who played for the Wildcats from 2005 to 2008, and was the only Latino lineman on the team, claims that the whole football team watched as "Cinco de Mayo" was shaved on the back of his head while he was still a freshman.
“The holiday itself has a significant meaning to me and my family and then the Latino community at large,” Diaz told the Associated Press. “I was mocked and ridiculed.”
Diaz said the alleged sexual and physical abuse caused him to fall into depression and that he even attempted suicide once.
“I just remember the laughter. No one stopped it. And the players felt enabled because of the atmosphere created by the coaches.”
Ramon Diaz further claims that the racist comments were not only confined to students and that even the coaches joined in. He accused former offensive line coach Brett Ingalls of racist comments towards him.
Diaz alleged that Ingalls once told him: "I know you grew up on dirt floors, but here we try to keep things clean," and "Ramon, you can get a job easily in summer mowing the lawn or painting houses.”
Diaz is one of the few former prospects to be named publicly in connection with the Northwestern lawsuit alongside Lloyd Yates, represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
Ramon Diaz and the wider Northwestern lawsuit
Ramon Diaz's is the tenth lawsuit to be leveled against Northwestern by former student-athletes who claim that they were victims of hazing.
The scandal unraveled when the Daily Northwestern broke the story that the coach Pat Fitzgerald and his staff were aware of the hazing culture and did nothing to stop it.
Fitzgerald was fired after 17 years as head coach. He took legal action against the Northwestern lawsuit via his lawyer to deny the charges and clear his name:
“The facts and evidence will show that Coach Fitzgerald implemented and followed numerous procedures and protocols to ensure that hazing would not occur, and he repeatedly emphasized to Northwestern’s student-athletes that hazing was forbidden and, if anyone was aware — or was the victim — of hazing, that they should immediately report it so that he could stop it.”
Ramon Diaz countered Fitzgerald's claim of ignorance:
“As a parent, as a clinician, as a former Division 1 athlete, I cannot imagine how the athletic department and the coaching staff did not know.”
Northwestern University hired former U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch to lead an investigation into the hazing culture. Considering the period when the alleged hazing occurred, the Northwestern lawsuit could have more plaintiffs soon.
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