BREAKING: Northwestern Has Fired Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald
It has been a busy week for the folks over at Northwestern, one that has reportedly resulted in the firing of head football coach Pat Fitzgerald.
It began over the weekend when the Daily Northwestern published a story where an unnamed player had detailed disturbing allegations of hazing within the football program. On Monday, the Daily Northwestern published additional allegations from former players that included elements of racism within the football program.
Here's just some of what was reported on Monday:
Three former Northwestern football players described a “culture of enabling racism” to The Daily, recalling multiple racist actions and remarks from both coaching staff and players.
All three players, who played for the team in late 2000s, also corroborated some of the hazing allegations reported by The Daily on Saturday.
Ramon Diaz Jr., a Latino offensive lineman for Northwestern from 2005 to 2008, said his experience on the football team was hostile as a non-white player.
“I didn’t feel like I could be anything other than white,” Diaz told The Daily. “We never felt like we could be ourselves. We had to fit in by being white or acting white or laughing at our own people.”
Another player, who asked to remain anonymous and played through the 2009 season, said racism on the team was often blatant. He alleged head coach Pat Fitzgerald would ask Black players and coaches to cut off longer hairstyles — including dreadlocks — so that they were more in line with what Fitzgerald called the “Wildcat Way.”
The player said this phrase — along with “good, clean American fun” — was used often by coaches to reference how they wanted players to look and act.
Fitzgerald was initially suspended for two weeks after an independent investigation the reports of hazing were "largely supported by evidence", but the additional reporting by the Daily Northwestern led University President Michael Schill to consider a harsher punishment.
Although the reporting of hazing within the program was disturbing enough to warrant the firing of Fitzgerald, the additional reporting of a culture of racism within the program ultimately proved to be the final straw.
Fitzgerald took over as head coach of the Wildcats back in 2006 and has a career coaching record of 110-101.
