Primer: Pat Fitzgerald’s Firing

Resolved: Northwestern was correct to fire Coach Pat Fitzgerald due to hazing allegations.

For our second meeting this year, Political Union is debating the firing of Coach Pat Fitzgerald due to hazing allegations. Below is a quick summary of events detailing what went down while we were all on summer break. 

This past summer our school experienced a shocking, disturbing, and disappointing scandal involving hazing allegations within the football team. In early July, President Michael Schill suspended head coach Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks following an investigation into hazing by a hired law firm for the university. The day after the executive summary was publicly released, The Daily dropped a bombshell article detailing the specifics of the rampant and alarming hazing conducted within the program. A content warning about “hazing, sexual assault, and suicide ideation” at the top preceded distressing accounts by two players who spoke of practices like “running” and “the carwash.” Later that day, President Schill released a statement saying he  “may have erred in weighing the appropriate sanction.” The football team wrote their own message, which declared “we stand behind him.” Two days later, Schill fired Fitzgerald. And like that, one of the most admired and famous figures in Northwestern’s history was gone.

For the pro side, the argument begins at Schill’s statement explaining why he fired Fitzgerald. “The hazing included forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature, in clear violation of Northwestern policies and values.” The head coach and undisputed leader of the program is ultimately responsible for its culture, and Northwestern’s allegedly was one one of abuse and hazing. And if the school allowed a figure like Fitzgerald to escape accountability, what message would that send to the community? Further, since the scandal had grown into a national story, Schill absolutely had to keep in mind how the general public would perceive the school’s culture as a whole. When ESPN verified the accounts of hazing – and Schill later said there were 11 former players who came forward – the university had no choice. 

Some arguments exist for the con side, however. The football team adamantly stood behind Fitzgerald throughout the drama. To send a message, players and some assistants even wore shirts at a practice in support of their former coach. Further, the initial investigation could not confirm that Fitzgerald even knew about what was going on. It also looks like Northwestern may have to pay some steep legal fees if they fight Fitzgerald in court over the termination of his contract, which they may have to end up paying in full. There also is inherent risk when firing one of the most beloved figures in school history, the one who is one of the program’s best players ever and undisputedly its greatest coach. There were significant numbers of alumni and people in the student body who deeply disagreed with the decision. How will the program, and arguably the school’s reputation, recover?

Please come join us for our debate on Monday, October 2 in Scott Hall 201!

"Coach Fitz" by Markfive is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.