Northwestern University on Monday fired Pat Fitzgerald, its longtime head soccer trainer, after an investigation discovered that his gamers had participated in common hazing, together with pressured nudity and sexualized acts.
His firing got here 3 days after the college mentioned that Fitzgerald, who have been head trainer of the Wildcats since 2006, can be suspended for 2 weeks with out pay after an investigation discovered the hazing allegations to be credible.
Michael Schill, the president of Northwestern, mentioned in a commentary that the verdict to fireside Fitzgerald, 48, got here “after a difficult and complex evaluation” of his previous self-discipline and after discussions with the board of trustees, scholars, alumni and Fitzgerald.
“The decision to originally suspend Coach Fitzgerald was mine and mine alone, as is the decision to part ways with him,” Schill mentioned.
The announcement of the firing got here after The Daily Northwestern reported on Saturday {that a} participant, who asked anonymity from the paper, accused gamers of punishing basically rookies in a sexual act that concerned more or less 10 teammates restraining a more youthful participant. On Monday, The Daily Northwestern additionally reported that 3 former soccer gamers mentioned there used to be a racist tradition within the soccer program.
Fitzgerald, a Northwestern alumnus who performed linebacker as an undergraduate, may no longer be instantly reached for touch upon Monday evening.
The college’s investigation, performed through Maggie Hickey of the regulation company ArentFox Schiff, used to be caused through an nameless criticism from a student-athlete in November 2022 and spanned six months. The investigation didn’t to find proof that Fitzgerald knew in regards to the hazing — even though it used to be “well-known by many in the program,” Schill mentioned.
Some gamers “believed the hazing was in jest and not harmful,” however others mentioned it led to “significant harm with long-term consequences,” consistent with the regulation company’s investigation.
Schill mentioned that, to his wisdom, “no student suffered physical injury as a result of these behaviors.”
Still, he mentioned, the pinnacle trainer used to be liable for the staff tradition, and the investigation discovered that hazing used to be “widespread and clearly not a secret within the program, providing Coach Fitzgerald with the opportunity to learn what was happening.”
Fitzgerald have been a pillar of the college’s soccer program, from his enjoying days as a linebacker when he helped the staff achieve the Rose Bowl, to his upward push throughout the training ranks, in the end being named the 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year. He received 5 bowl video games and had a 110–101 file as head trainer of the staff. Last season, Northwestern went 1–11.