A former Northwestern player said the alleged hazing acts that took place within the football program were “egregious and vile and inhumane behavior.”
Northwestern announced Friday that it had suspended coach Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay following an investigation into allegations of hazing. Northwestern said that it didn’t find “sufficient evidence” that Fitzgerald or the coaching staff was aware of the hazing.
The school said it had received a report of hazing allegations in November. The former player who reported the allegations spoke to the Daily Northwestern in an article published Saturday and detailed what he said were widespread hazing rituals within the program.
The player was not identified in the story as he asked to remain anonymous. From the Daily Northwestern:
If a player was selected for “running,” the player who spoke to The Daily said, they would be restrained by a group of 8-10 upperclassmen dressed in various “Purge-like” masks, who would then begin “dry-humping” the victim in a dark locker room.
“It’s a shocking experience as a freshman to see your fellow freshman teammates get ran, but then you see everybody bystanding in the locker room,” the player said. “It’s just a really abrasive and barbaric culture that has permeated throughout that program for years on end now.”
The Daily obtained images of whiteboards labeled “Runsgiving” and “Shrek’s List,” containing a list of names indicating players that the player said needed to be “ran.”
The former player also said that the signal for the hazing ritual was the clapping of hands over the head of a player. He alleged that players understood that Fitzgerald was aware of the ritual.
According to the player who spoke with The Daily, Fitzgerald repeatedly made the signal during practices when players, specifically freshmen, made a mistake.
The player believes some players interpreted Fitzgerald making these signals as knowingly “encouraging” the hazing to continue.
Fitzgerald said in a statement after his suspension that he was not aware of the alleged incidents.
“I was very disappointed when I heard about the allegations of hazing on our football team,” Fitzgerald said in his statement. “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.”
“Northwestern football prides itself on producing not just athletes, but fine young men with character befitting the program and our university. We hold our student-athletes and our program to the highest standards; we will continue to work to exceed those standards moving forward.”
The Daily Northwestern article also mentioned other allegations of hazing rituals, including the practice where freshmen had to duplicate a snap from the center to the quarterback while both players were naked. It also cited a second player who noted the existence of the ritual.
Since Fitzgerald’s suspension began Friday, it doesn’t impact his presence during any on-field preparations for the 2023 season. Northwestern went 1-11 in 2022 in the worst season of Fitzgerald’s tenure with the team. He’s been the team’s head coach since 2006 and has a 110-101 record.
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