Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald suspended after hazing investigation

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern University head football coach Pat Fitzgerald has been suspended without pay for two weeks after an independent investigation into hazing within the program.

In late November, the university received a complaint from an anonymous email address alleging football players pressured team members into participating in "hazing activities" in the locker room, according to the university's executive summary of the investigation. 

The complainant said the hazing may have started at "Camp Kenosha" in Wisconsin, where the team held training camp. Northwestern hired an outside investigator and former executive assistant U.S. attorney, Maggie Hickey, to look into the complaint.

Investigators interviewed the complainant and over 50 others who are in the program or used to be on the team. They also reviewed hundreds of thousands of emails and player survey data from 2014 to the present. 

Investigators determined the complainant's claims were "largely supported" by the evidence gathered in the investigation. There was not enough evidence pointing to specific misconduct by any individual player or coach, however, the report found knowledge of hazing was "widespread" across the team.

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The investigation team determined the coaching staff had opportunities to discover and report the hazing but failed to do so, resulting in Fitzgerald's suspension.

"I was very disappointed when I heard about the allegations of hazing on our football team," Fitzgerald said in a 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.

Head coach Pat Fitzgerald of the Northwestern Wildcats watches the team warm up before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on October 2, 2021 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

The university said it will take the following actions in wake of the investigation:

• Head coach Fitzgerald has been placed on a two-week suspension without pay, beginning immediately.
• Football practices at "Camp Kenosha" in Wisconsin will be permanently discontinued.
• The University will require monitoring of the football locker room by someone who doesn’t report to the football coaching staff.
• The University will create an online reporting tool specifically for student athletes to anonymously report incidents of potential hazing or hazing-related concerns.
• The University will provide and require annual mandatory anti-hazing training for all coaches, staff members and student-athletes, with an emphasis on reporting options, the duties to report, discipline for future violations and the fact that hazing is not acceptable regardless of consent.
• The University will form an internal working group comprising Northwestern leaders across various disciplines to create a report on policy development, organizational culture, communication, training and enforcement. The group will solicit input from external experts and will make their report open to the entire community.
• Northwestern Athletics will better utilize the annual student-athlete-survey process to ensure coaches are aware of and act on student concerns.
• Northwestern Athletics will work with the NCAA and Big Ten Conference to ensure all processes and rules are followed.

Fitzgerald played for the Wildcats in the 1990s and has coached 17 years at his alma mater, compiling a 110-101 record and four bowl wins.

The Wildcats went 1-11 last year, Fitzgerald's worst season since taking the helm in 2006.