Northwestern football faces uncertainty about the status of their football program.
A Wednesday press conference featuring several former Northwestern football players shed some light on the allegations of hazing and abuse within the Big Ten program. All of this is happening against the backdrop of Northwestern’s season opener at Rutgers on September 3.
It makes for a confusing and fluid situation as Northwestern navigates some difficult waters both on and off the field.
Wednesday’s press conference, featuring four former players, underscored allegations of a culture that not only allowed hazing but also potentially encouraged it. Flanked by their legal representation, the claims of the players come a little over a week after Northwestern fired head coach [autotag]Pat Fitzgerald.[/autotag]
Northwestern is currently launching two investigations into the culture surrounding athletics on campus.
In a letter to the members of the faculty and staff at Northwestern, university president Michael Schill wrote in part:
“As you are no doubt aware, over the past 10 days, the University terminated the employment of Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald and relieved Head Baseball Coach Jim Foster of his duties. These actions followed investigations into hazing among our student-athletes in football and the bullying of assistant coaches in baseball. This situation is still unfolding, but the University already faces litigation related to these actions. Therefore, I hope you will understand that I am restricted in discussing specifics of these matters. I also am very concerned — as I am sure you all are — about protecting the confidentiality and rights of our students.
I write to you today to give you my commitment that I will continue to do whatever is necessary to address this situation and ensure that our athletic program remains one you can be proud of and one that is fully aligned with and reflects our values. Equally important, I give you my commitment that we will redouble our efforts to safeguard the welfare of each and every student-athlete at Northwestern.”
Northwestern has named [autotag]David Braun[/autotag] as interim head football coach, a not insignificant step. Braun joined Northwestern as the team’s new defensive coordinator in January, meaning that he was not a part of the staff during the timeline of the investigation.
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Besides Fitzgerald, no other member of the football coaching staff has been fired.
The status of these investigations and their subsuqent fallout is certainly of importance to the Big Ten at large. And while certainly not as significant as the issues at hand, there is also the sporting issue to be considered too. The impact on the football program, including potentially players entering the transfer portal, is also something that affects Rutgers as they gameplan for their opponent.
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Steven Levin, who is serving as co-counsel for the four former players, was part of Wendesday’s press conference. He too underscored the seriousness of these claims and allegations against the school.
“These former Northwestern football players are participating in this legal action because they believe that more stringent oversight and accountability are required in college athletics to prevent such abuses from happening to other players in the future,” Levin said. “The physical, emotional and sexual abuse not only violated Northwestern’s own policies, but also numerous laws, and worse, has led to irreparable harm, with some players even experiencing suicidal thoughts.”
When asked at the press conference if the football program’s proposed $800 million facelift of their facility and stadium should be halted in light of the legal issues at play, Levin said that question is “above my paygrade.”
The September 3 game between Rutgers and Northwestern is the season opener for both Big Ten programs.
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