Northwestern University fired football coach Pat Fitzgerald ‘for cause’ despite him being unaware of hazing incidents among Wildcats players, his attorney told ESPN, potentially setting up a legal battle over the remaining $42 million on his contract.
The firing came three days after Fitzgerald received a two-week suspension without pay following an independent investigation that found hazing allegations were ‘largely supported by evidence.’ A player came forward to the student newspaper, the Daily Northwestern, and revealed that some of the hazing included coerced sexual acts.
Fitzgerald is also accused of presiding over a ‘culture of enabling racism,’ which allegedly included the head coach requesting black players cut off their dreadlocks to better conform to the ‘Wildcat Way.’
Attorney Maggie Hickey and the ArentFox Schiff firm’s investigation did not find that Fitzgerald or his staff knew about the hazing, but did say he had opportunities to learn about and report the incidents.
Dan Webb, the lawyer representing Fitzgerald, disputed the school’s ‘for cause’ characterization to ESPN, saying he’s currently assessing his client’s legal options. Specifically, Webb is accusing Northwestern of violating Fitzgerald’s contact and an oral agreement reached between the coach and school last week when he was initially given his two-week ban.
Northwestern University fired football coach Pat Fitzgerald ‘for cause,’ his attorney says
‘I cannot understand how you could terminate someone for cause when they [Northwestern] admit that their own lawyer does not have any evidence that my client ever knew anything at all, about any of the alleged hazing behavior,’ Webb told ESPN. ‘If I present that to a jury someday, a jury is going have a hard time believing that you can terminate someone for cause when they didn’t know anything about [the incidents].’
Webb also claims that Fitzgerald was told by Northwestern’s general counsel, Stephanie Graham, that his punishment would be limited to his two-week ban.
‘This is all there would be,’ Webb says his client was told by Graham.
A Northwestern spokesperson did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Northwestern fired the coach and former Wildcats linebacker on Monday amid the continued fallout from the controversy.
In the wake of the allegations, Northwestern president Michael Schill (pictured) announced that he was reconsidering penalties for Fitzgerald
University president Michael Schill wrote a letter to the Northwestern community Saturday night admitting that the school ‘may have erred’ in the severity of its discipline. Schill then confirmed reports of Fitzgerald’s firing with another letter Monday evening.
‘This afternoon, I informed Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald that he was being relieved of his duties effective immediately,’ Schill wrote Monday. ‘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.’
Schill said he spent ‘a great deal of time’ discussing the matter with the board of trustees, faculty, students, alumni ‘and Coach Fitzgerald himself.’
Fitzgerald, who’d served as head coach of the Big Ten program since 2006, had the backing of a large portion of the team, which released a letter supporting Fitzgerald and calling the hazing claims ‘exaggerated and twisted’ on Saturday.
‘During the investigation, 11 current or former football student-athletes acknowledged that hazing has been ongoing within the football program,’ Schill wrote. ‘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.’
Schill said he only recently learned the complainant’s identity because the investigation had been confidential.
Northwestern did not announce an interim coach. Schill wrote that ‘in the days ahead,’ the athletic department ‘will announce the leadership for this upcoming football season.’
The scandal has delayed a planned $800 million renovation to Ryan Field, the team’s stadium
School faculty formally requested the university make public the findings of the hazing investigation.
In a letter to the university president and other school officials, a group of six faculty at the private university and residents of Evanston, Illinois called for the delay of a planned $800 million renovation to Ryan Field, the Wildcats’ football stadium.
There have also been calls for support for Fitzgerald from some former players and alumni.
Meanwhile, the school declined this week to fire Fitzgerald’s staff over the allegations.