Northwestern football on Monday announced the firing of alum and football coach Pat Fitzgerald.
It marked a shocking reversal from the university's previous announcement days earlier that it would suspend him after hazing was uncovered in his football program. Fitzgerald is one of the most beloved individuals in program history, playing for the team from 1993 through 1996 and coaching the team since 2001 (including as head coach from 2006 through 2022).
Six of Northwestern's top 10 seasons in terms of wins and losses have come under Fitzgerald, including three of the team's five 10-win seasons. He is not only the longest-tenured coach in program history, but also holds the program record for most wins (110, part of a 110-101 record).
Here's everything you need to know about Fitzgerald's firing, the hazing allegations that led to his termination, and where he and Northwestern go from here:
Why was Pat Fitzgerald fired?
Northwestern president Michael Schill announced Fitzgerald's firing on Monday, three days after the school announced a two-week unpaid suspension for the 18-year football coach. The initial discipline came as a result of an investigation that uncovered hazing in his program.
A Saturday report by student newspaper The Daily Northwestern made public details of the hazing allegations. It also indicated Fitzgerald was aware of and complicit with the practice, whereas he previously said he had no knowledge of it.
Schill on Saturday released a statement saying he would reassess Fitzgerald's punishment, saying, "I focused too much on what the report concluded he didn’t know and not enough on what he should have known."
Two days later, Northwestern fired Fitzgerald. Said Schill in statement released by the university:
Since Friday, I have kept going back to what we should reasonably expect from our head coaches, our faculty and our campus leaders. And that is what led me to make this decision. The head coach is ultimately responsible for the culture of his team. The hazing we investigated was widespread and clearly not a secret within the program, providing Coach Fitzgerald with the opportunity to learn what was happening. Either way, the culture in Northwestern football, while incredible in some ways, was broken in others.
Northwestern hazing allegations
Friday, July 7
Northwestern announced a two-week suspension for Fitzgerald after an investigation uncovered hazing in his football program.
The university initially became aware of allegations from an "anonymized" email in November 2022. That prompted Northwestern to hire outside law firm ArentFox Schiff and lead investigator Maggie Hickey to conduct an investigation.
The university's executive summary, based on Hickey's findings, concluded hazing claims "were largely supported by the evidence gathered during the investigation, including separate and consistent first-person accounts from current and former players."
Hickey was unable to point to any specific misconduct by an individual player or coach and could not determine whether any specific individual had knowledge of the hazing. As such, Schill suspended Fitzgerald for two weeks, effective immediately, and placed an independent monitor in the football locker room.
Saturday, July 8
The Daily Northwestern reported details of the alleged hazing, citing accounts from an anonymous player and corroborated by another unnamed player. They described a systemic culture of hazing under Fitzgerald that involved "coerced sexual acts" and physical punishment.
The player claimed upperclassmen would single out individuals for "running," an act in which they would be restrained and "dry-humped” in a dark locker room. Freshmen allegedly were also "forced to strip naked and perform various acts."
One of those was the "carwash," in which a player would strip naked as other players were forced to brush past them; they would then be sprayed with a hose. Other alleged punishments include naked pull-ups, "bear crawls" and "slingshots." Both players claimed they saw a freshman quarterback take a snap from a center while both players were naked.
"It’s just absolutely egregious and vile and inhumane behavior," the first player told The Daily Northwestern. They also said the program has an "abrasive and barbaric culture that has permeated throughout that program for years on end now."
Both players said individuals' names would be put on a whiteboard titled "Shrek's list," indicating they were hazing targets. Other times, upperclassmen would target players by making a clapping hand signal over them during practices. Both players who spoke to The Daily indicated Fitzgerald performed the gesture himself, suggesting he had knowledge of hazing.
Following the report, a letter signed by "the ENTIRE Northwestern football team" slammed the details as they were relayed to The Daily, calling them "exaggerated and twisted." The letter also indicated Fitzgerald had no knowledge or participation in hazing.
Schill released a statement saying he would reassess Fitzgerald's punishment.
Sunday, July 9
A current Northwestern player told ESPN the whistleblower's sole intention in bringing the hazing allegations to light was to get Fitzgerald fired: "He just kept emphasizing, 'Yeah, it'll be OK. I'm just trying to get Coach Fitz fired.'"
Said player confirmed that was part of their intent, but added the main point was to remove the "heinous, illegal behavior" from the program.
Monday, July 10
The Daily released another report detailing systemic racism under Fitzgerald earlier in his tenure. The report cited three players on the football team in the late 2000s, including Ramon Diaz Jr., an offensive lineman from 2005 to 2008. He and the two other anonymous players — both of whom are Black — claimed Fitzgerald and his coaching staff enabled racism toward non-white players on the team.
They also corroborated claims of hazing as detailed to The Daily in its previous report. It is uncertain whether the second report had any bearing on Fitzgerald's ultimate firing. It was not mentioned in the university's statement announcing the dismissal.
Schill later announced his decision to fire Fitzgerald, saying in his statement that 11 current and former football players acknowledged hazing had been going on within the program "dating back many years." Schill acknowledged "still more" players brought forth accusations via The Daily.
As such, Schill determined Fitzgerald should be fired, adding his decision was not based on the motives of any single player or their motives.
Pat Fitzgerald statement
Fitzgerald on Monday released a statement expressing surprise that Schill "unilaterally" backtracked his decision to suspend him two weeks to instead fire him.
"Last Friday, Northwestern and I came to a mutual agreement regarding the appropriate resolution following the thorough investigation conducted by Ms. Hickey. This agreement stipulated a two-week suspension. Therefore, I was surprised when I learned that the president of Northwestern unilaterally revoked our agreement without any prior notification and subsequently terminated my employment.
"Given this unexpected turn of events, I have entrusted my agent, Bryan Harlan, and legal counsel, Dan Webb from Winston & Strawn LLP, to take the necessary steps to protect my rights in accordance with the law."
Fitzgerald also indicated he will take the matter to court.
Pat Fitzgerald salary
Because Fitzgerald was employed at a private institution, Northwestern was not obligated to release details of his salary via public records laws. Fitzgerald in 2021 signed a 10-year contract extension through 2030; it reportedly was worth $57 million, giving him an average annual salary of $5.7 million.
While Fitzgerald was fired for his perceived role in the hazing allegations, it remains uncertain in legal terms whether the university fired him for cause, which would result in a forfeiture in his salary.
What's next for Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Northwestern is expected to elevate defensive coordinator David Braun as the interim coach. He joined the program in January after serving the same role at FCS power North Dakota State from 2019 through 2022.
Braun, the FCS coordinator of the year in 2021, makes sense as interim coach: He has only been associated with the program for six months and was not present for the vast majority of the alleged hazing that took place during Fitzgerald's tenure. This will be his first stint as an acting head coach, and it's likely Northwestern looks for a long-term replacement after the season.
If Fitzgerald was fired with cause, then the school will argue it was justified because he violated terms of his contract (such as enforcing the university's conduct policies on the team). In that case, the university would not owe him his remaining salary.
Likewise, he could also sue Northwestern for a similar breach of contract: He can argue that, as a football coach, he could not reasonably be expected to expand his roles to prevent hazing in his program, especially if claims no knowledge of it. (The extent of his knowledge of hazing would then become a central point in the legal battle.)
There is risk for both Fitzgerald and Northwestern in taking this matter to court, as anything discovered — including sensitive, embarrassing or incriminating information — could be made public. It's possible both parties will attempt to settle.
Regardless, Fitzgerald's tenure as Northwestern's head coach is over.