Northwestern Football to Retain Assistant Coaches Despite Pat Fitzgerald Firing, per Report

Despite firing head coach Pat Fitzgerald on Monday, Northwestern is expected to retain the rest of its football coaching and support staff, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reports. According to Rittenberg, athletic director Derrick Gragg, who had been away from campus, returned Tuesday to meet with players and coaches about the decisions.

Last week, Northwestern initially suspended Fitzgerald for two weeks following an investigation into hazing within the football program. A day later Nicole Markus, Alyce Brown, Cole Reynolds and Divya Bhardwaj of The Daily Northwestern reported details from the hazing investigation, which included allegations of coerced sexual acts. 

Additionally, The Daily Northwestern further reported that former Black players described racist actions and remarks in the program during Fitzgerald’s 17-year tenure as head coach.

After his firing, Fitzgerald released a statement and retained a lawyer, arguing that Northwestern president Michael Schill “unilaterally revoked [their] agreement without any prior notification and subsequently terminated [his] employment” by firing him after initially suspending him.

Fitzgerald, a former Northwestern player, had been a Wildcats coach since 2001 and the program’s head coach since ’06.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, defensive coordinator David Braun is expected to be named the acting head coach. Braun is entering his first season with Northwestern, having been the North Dakota State defensive coordinator for the previous four years.