{"id":136250,"date":"2023-10-27T00:03:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T04:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=136250"},"modified":"2023-10-26T15:35:09","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T19:35:09","slug":"northwestern-gets-sued-for-130m-after-firing-coach-despite-no-evidence-he-knew-of-hazing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/northwestern-gets-sued-for-130m-after-firing-coach-despite-no-evidence-he-knew-of-hazing\/","title":{"rendered":"Northwestern gets sued for $130M after firing coach despite no evidence he knew of hazing"},"content":{"rendered":"

University’s report concluded a lack of ‘sufficient evidence to believe that coaching staff knew about the ongoing hazing conduct’<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The most successful football coach in Northwestern University history filed a lawsuit for more than $130,000,000 after the school fired him over alleged hazing incidents which its own investigators concluded he knew nothing about.<\/p>\n

Winston & Strawn filed the lawsuit on behalf of Pat Fitzgerald after the university allegedly broke an oral contract to keep him as head coach.<\/p>\n

The $130,000,000 figure includes lost compensation up to his employment contract expiration date and additional amounts for compensatory damages for \u201cemotional distress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Northwestern University did not respond to a College Fix<\/em> inquiry sent in the past week that asked for comment on the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs head coach of the football program for 17 years, Patrick Fitzgerald was responsible for the conduct of the program,\u201d the university stated<\/a> in comments to the media. \u201cHe had the responsibility to know that hazing was occurring and to stop it. He failed to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Northwestern\u2019s report found otherwise.<\/p>\n

The state lawsuit<\/a> alleges the Big Ten university fired him \u201cfor-cause\u201d despite an external law firm finding Fitzgerald (pictured<\/em>) had no knowledge of the hazing<\/a>. \u201cThe Hickey Report confirmed that Fitzgerald did not know of the alleged hazing until the allegations were reported in late 2022,\u201d the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n

As a result, Northwestern and Fitzgerald \u201centered into a binding, legal, oral contract\u201d in July 2023 that required the coach to take \u201ca two-week suspension without pay and without any legal challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

MORE:<\/strong> Judge orders UConn to pay $63K for Title IX kangaroo court victim<\/a><\/p>\n

He would also make \u201ca public statement that was supportive of Northwestern\u2019s football program.\u201d The coach accepted this to move beyond the controversy, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

University President Michael Schill reportedly wanted Fitzgerald to \u201ctake a hit\u201d for the hazing, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

Just a few days after accepting the deal, Northwestern broke this contract.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit states that Fitzgerald put in place mechanisms for catching and reporting hazing, including annual surveys that included questions about hazing, post-graduation exit interviews, and regular meetings where he stressed the team\u2019s zero-tolerance policy.<\/p>\n

He also \u201cmaintained an open-door policy and invited his athletes to contact him at any time, which provided numerous opportunities for Northwestern football players to discuss any hazing conduct that occurred within the Northwestern football program.\u201d<\/p>\n

The law firm investigators \u201cdid not discover sufficient evidence to believe that coaching staff knew about the ongoing hazing conduct,\u201d an executive summary<\/a> of the report stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey determined, however, that there had been significant opportunities to discover and report the hazing conduct,” the summary stated.<\/p>\n

President Schill, in his statement on July 10 explaining the firing, reiterated there was no evidence Fitzgerald knew of the hazing. “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,” he stated<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe defendants\u2019 actions have exacted terrible, measurable costs to Mr. Fitzgerald and his family,\u201d attorney Dan Webb stated in a news release<\/a>. \u201cThis lawsuit seeks to bring some measure of justice for our client and to hopefully dissuade the defendants from inflicting such harm on others.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did not respond to a request for comment on any updates this week.<\/p>\n

An experienced litigator on campus due process issues told The Fix<\/em> that terminations can have a lasting effect and so a proper process must be followed.<\/p>\n

\u201cLosing employment from termination has permanently damaged the career paths of faculty members,\u201d Andrew Miltenberg told The Fix<\/em> via a phone interview. \u201cIn my experience, careers and reputations have been destroyed before hearings take place due to professional rivalry or lack of confidentiality.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis causes faculty careers to be destroyed long before he or she can defend it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The public nature of termination means some faculty were \u201cunable to secure a job in both the US and overseas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause terminations of faculty members end many long-term careers, faculty should be entitled to minimum protections through appeals for termination and confidentiality of the termination process,\u201d Miltenberg told The Fix<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Last chance to support student journalists<\/a><\/span> during our Back to School fundraising campaign! We\u2019re very close to our goal of $25,000. The deadline for the matching offer is quickly approaching so please donate<\/span><\/a> by Oct. 31 to help us meet the goal. Thank you!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

IMAGE: Northwestern Athletics\/YouTube<\/p>\n

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