Eight former Northwestern University student-athletes have sought legal representation from renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump following the hazing scandal that led to the dismissal of longtime football coach Pat Fitzgerald. Crump and co-counsel Steven M. Levin announced on Monday that they have been in contact with multiple Northwestern student-athletes regarding the hazing allegations that emerged earlier this month.
Crump emphasized the responsibility of coaches for fostering a safe environment, stating, "Regardless of whether coaches at Northwestern directly approved of or participated in the harassment, they bear the responsibility for permitting and enabling a toxic, detrimental, and harmful culture within their programs." He further suggested that such mistreatment of student-athletes might be more widespread than realized due to the immense pressure to remain silent.
Northwestern President Michael Schill explained in an open letter on July 10 that Fitzgerald's dismissal after 17 seasons stemmed from an independent investigation that found him culpable for his "failure to know and prevent significant hazing" within the football program. Initially, Fitzgerald received a two-week suspension following the confidential investigation, which did not uncover "sufficient" evidence of coaching staff awareness of the hazing. However, it did identify "significant opportunities" for them to have become aware, and nearly a dozen current and former players confirmed the presence of hazing within the program.
With the emergence of new information, including allegations of racial bias, the university took the step of terminating Fitzgerald. Levin highlighted the motivation of the former players involved in the legal action, stating, "These former Northwestern football players are participating in this legal action because they want to support and validate the allegations of abuse made by the two players who spoke to the Daily Northwestern about the true nature of the so-called hazing. They believe that more stringent oversight and accountability are required in college athletics to prevent such abuses from happening to other players in the future. The physical, emotional and sexual abuse not only violated Northwestern's own policies, but also numerous laws, and worse, has led to irreparable harm, with some players even experiencing suicidal thoughts."
Crump indicated that they have communicated with other individuals and that "legal action is expected to expand beyond Northwestern’s football program and will expose extreme and abusive hazing in other college athletic programs as well." Following his dismissal, Fitzgerald released a statement citing the investigation as confirmation of his lack of awareness of any hazing within the program. He also secured legal counsel and stated his intention to "take the necessary steps to protect my rights in accordance with the law."
