Edited version of Northwestern President's letter regarding the hazing scandal in NW's athletic program
"Dear Northwestern Community Family Donors Lawyers:
This afternoon, I informed Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald that he was being relieved of his duties effective immediately.
Today, a day late and a dollar short, I fired Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald for cause.
The decision comes after a difficult and complex evaluation of my original discipline decision imposed last week on Coach Fitzgerald for his failure to know and prevent significant hazing in the football program. Over the last 72 hours, I have spent a great deal of time in thought and in discussions with people who love our University — the Chair and members of our Board of Trustees, faculty leadership, students, alumni and Coach Fitzgerald himself. I have also received many phone calls, text messages and emails from those I know, and those I don’t, sharing their thoughts. While I am appreciative of the feedback and considered it in my decision-making, ultimately, the decision to originally suspend Coach Fitzgerald was mine and mine alone, as is the decision to part ways with him.
This was not a difficult decision, and if you don’t like it, well, deal with it. The now ex-coach led a program that for years used hazing for some kind of perverted “team-building” exercise. During the years this occurred the ex-coach lied when he said he was opposed to hazing.
While the independent investigative report will remain confidential, it is important for our community to know the facts.
I plan to release the entire report within the hour, hopefully, before the Daily Northwestern releases it.
During the investigation, eleven current or former football student-athletes acknowledged that hazing has been ongoing within the football program. In new media reporting today, still more former Northwestern football student-athletes confirmed that hazing was systemic dating back many years. This has never been about one former student-athlete and his motives; this is much bigger than that.
Many current and former players have come forward to confirm that under Fitzgerald’s “leadership” hazing has been part of ex-coach Fitzgerald’s program for years.
The hazing included forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature, in clear violation of Northwestern policies and values. I am grateful that — to my knowledge — no student suffered physical injury as a result of these behaviors.
The hazing involved grotesque, degrading sexualized acts that have permanently scarred the victims psychologically.
While some student-athletes believed the hazing was in jest and not harmful, others viewed it as causing significant harm with long-term consequences.
For the student-athletes who thought the hazing was in jest, well, Northwestern just might not be the university for you. To the ENTIRE football program, I ask you, have you considered transferring to Alabama?
The hazing was well-known by many in the program, though the investigator failed to find any credible evidence that Coach Fitzgerald himself knew about it.
The idea that ex-coach and micro-manager Fitzgerald did not know what was happening in his own football program leads me to two conclusions: One, he lost control of his program; two, that he supported the hazing and, maybe, he kind of enjoyed watching it unfold, like a Roman emperor watching lions tear apart plebeians.
As the entire six-month independent investigation was confidential, I only recently learned many of the details, including the complainant’s identity. I spoke with his parents on Friday and the student on Sunday.
OK, I actually did browse the report of the investigation, but because it’s summertime and pretty mellow around the campus, I put it aside to, instead, peruse the employment ads in the Chronicle of Higher Education. I just might be doing that again, sooner than later.
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 Football (1-11 last year) has not been very good and I will consider whether we even need to have a football program. (See history of University of Chicago’s football program) Heck, we could use the $800 million proposed to “improve” our often half-full stadium (again 1-11 last year) and use that money to recruit more students of color to our campus and to expand our excellent Medill School of Journalism.
There is no doubt that Coach Fitzgerald has had a tremendous impact on our institution, well beyond the football field. For nearly thirty years, he has given himself to Northwestern as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach, and he has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of young men. His players have almost all graduated and represented the University with distinction. Over the last two days, I have received hundreds and hundreds of emails describing how he has transformed the lives of current and former student-athletes. However, as much as Coach Fitzgerald has meant to our institution and our student-athletes, we have an obligation — in fact a responsibility — to live by our values, even when it means making difficult and painful decisions such as this one. We must move forward.
Ex-coach Fitzgerald has impacted many some student-athletes during his 30 years at Northwestern, but that impact has sometimes been negative. One of our student-athletes has been in therapy for a decade because of the hazing he experienced. Now that’s a hellava legacy!
I recognize that my decision will not be universally applauded, and there will be those in our community who may vehemently disagree with it. Ultimately, I am charged with acting in the best interests of the entire University, and this decision is reflective of that. The damage done to our institution is significant, as is the harm to some of our students.
If you disagree with my decision to fire Fitzgerald I can only concur that you condone sexualized acts of degradation against young, vulnerable men. I feel sorry for you, and, by the way, you can stick your donations where the sun don’t shine. I don’t want them, and, with our multi-billion-dollar endowment, we really don’t need your money anyway.
In the days ahead, Combe Family Vice President for Athletics & Recreation Derrick Gragg will announce the leadership for this upcoming football season, and I encourage all of you to rally around the young men in our football program as they take the field this fall. As always, the welfare of our students is paramount and we will move forward expeditiously to make the reforms I outlined in my letter, dated July 8.
If, and when, our ghost of an athletic director returns from wherever the hell he’s been (how was the fishing mate?) we will next tackle the fate of our baseball coach, Jim Foster, who has been investigated for abusive behavior. And, the fact that there are barely enough players left to field a baseball team, perhaps we can eliminate this program, too. (I mean, 4-20 in Big Ten competition this year? Thanks coach, for a job…done.) And, from this point forward, we will never again allow boosters and/or donors that have buildings named after them choose coaches or have any influence over any hiring at Northwestern.
Over my ten months serving as your President, I have found the Northwestern University community to be proud, to be passionate, to be supportive, and yes, to be demanding. While today is a difficult day, I take solace in knowing that what we stand for endures. Finally, I am grateful for the partnership and support of the Board of Trustees and Chair Peter Barris.”
I’ve only been here ten months, but, man, it seems a heck of lot longer. All I wanted was to stay awake during all those meetings, add to my sparkling resume, pad my obese retirement account, but now I have to deal with this crap? I do want to thank our Board of Trustees—all 300 members—and especially the Chair for actually taking my phone call after numerous attempts.
Anyway, yeah, go Cats. Purple Power. Whatever that means. Now where the hell is that athletic director?
President Michael H. Shill Schill
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