Northwestern Announces Independent Athletics Review Conducted by Loretta Lynch
Northwestern has commissioned an independent investigation into the culture of its athletic programs, the university announced in a Tuesday morning release.
The investigation will be overseen by Loretta Lynch, a former attorney general of the United States. Lynch held that position under former president Barack Obama from 2015 to ’17.
“Hazing has absolutely no place at Northwestern,” university president Michael Schill said in a statement. “I am determined that with the help of Attorney General Lynch, we will become a leader in combating the practice of hazing in intercollegiate athletics and a model for other universities.”
Northwestern has been embroiled in scandal since early July, when investigations from student and Chicago-area publications led to the dismissals of football and baseball coaches Pat Fitzgerald and Jim Foster, respectively.
Per the university, Lynch’s investigation will include “engagement with faculty, staff, students, and alumni” and its findings will be made public. The results of a previous investigation by an outside law firm into the football program—which initially earned Fitzgerald a two-week suspension—have not been released.
Northwestern, its board of trustees, Schill, Fitzgerald, athletic director Derrick Gragg, former president Morton Schapiro and former athletic director Jim Phillips have all been named as defendants in civil litigation filed since Fitzgerald's July 10 firing.
