Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald has been suspended by the program for two weeks, effective immediately. The decision comes after the university initiated an investigation back on Jan. 11 after allegations of hazing were brought forward in Nov. 2022.
Pat Fitzgerald, who has been the Wildcats' head coach since 2006, issued a statement about his suspension, claiming he did not know of the alleged hazing but accepts the suspension levied by the university.
Fitzgerald said:
"I was very disappointed when I heard about the allegations of hazing on our football team. 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. ... We hold our student-athletes and our program to the highest standards; we will continue to work to exceed those standards moving forward."
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In addition to the suspension, other actions taken by the school include the following:
The Wildcats can no longer have practices at Camp Kenosha in Wisconsin. There will be monitoring of the football locker room by a non-football staffer. The creation of an online tool for student-athletes to anonymously report potential hazing incidents. Providing annual mandatory anti-hazing training for coaches, staff members and student-athletes.
What do we know about the hazing incident for Pat Fitzgerald's Northwestern Wildcats team?
Northwestern did not specify who was involved in the hazing incident or whether it was players or staff members. However, they did send a statement to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg back on Jan. 11 about the incident:
"While we do not yet know whether the allegations are true, hazing is prohibited by university policy, and we take these claims seriously. The health, safety and well-being of our students is a first priority. ... Northwestern strongly supports members of our community who come forward with concerns and encourages anyone to report those concerns to the university." h/t Bleacher Report
It was also noted that Northwestern athletic director Derrick Gragg informed the program about the allegations on the same day they released the statement.
A summary of the investigation revealed that it was based on an anonymous complaint alleging that football players pressured "team members into participating in hazing activities."
“The complainant alleged that these activities often occurred in the locker room and may have started at ‘Camp Kenosha’ in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where the team used to hold training camp,” the report said.
HC Pat Fitzgerald's suspension, which begins Friday, comes even though the investigation's report found insufficient evidence "to believe that coaching staff knew about the ongoing hazing conduct."
The program begins practices for the 2023 season in August.
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