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Michigan, analyst Bret Ingalls push back on allegations stemming from his Northwestern tenure

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham08/02/23

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(Photo by Zac BonDurant/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Current Michigan analyst Bret Ingalls, who coached at Northwestern from 2006-08, pushed back on Wednesday against allegations brought forth by former offensive lineman Ramon Diaz in a lawsuit. Ingalls is one of a number of former and current college coaches and analysts of have been alleged to commit misconduct stemming from the Northwestern hazing scandal.

In a forceful statement to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Ingalls called the accusations “baseless.” Ingall’s statement was also pushed out with a statement attributed to Michigan Athletics.

“As the baseless accusations against me have continued to unfold from a former player, I have been proactive in my communication with Coach [Jim] Harbaugh and the Human Resources Department at the University of Michigan,” Ingalls said in the statement. “I have dedicated my entire career to mentoring and coaching young me of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. I respect all individuals and have continued to do that throughout my coaching career.”

In a lawsuit recently filed, Diaz alleged that Ingalls, who was at that point his offensive line coach, had repeatedly insulted Diaz’ cultural heritage. Diaz is Latino.

The statement from the Michigan athletics department made clear that there have been no concerns about Ingalls during his time in Ann Arbor. Ingalls joined the Wolverines ahead of the 2022 season.

“Bret proactive came and addressed the accusations at Northwestern from 15(-plus) years ago with Coach Harbaugh and Human Resources. He has spoken with our HR department and understands the expectations of his employment at the University of Michigan,” it said. “We have not had one concern raised during Bret’s time here. It has been very positive in terms of his interaction with others.”

Earlier in 2023, Michigan hired and then quickly fired Glenn “Shemy” Schembechler, the son of former coach Bo Schembechler. It was discovered that Schembechler had liked a series of racial insensitive tweets arguing that Jim Crow laws might’ve benefitted Black people. Michigan also nixed the search firm that supposedly allowed this oversight.

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Diaz, one of the first players to speak publicly, has sued Northwestern

Diaz’ alleges that there was not only hazing but also racial discrimination in the football program.

Diaz was one of the first players to publicly speak out against the problems occurring in Evanston. He has not been around the program in quite some time, last being there during the 2008 season.

When speaking to the Daily Northwestern, Diaz said he felt like he could never be himself due to the color of his skin. He felt as if the racist incidents that occurred were part of the hazing as well, thinking the two intertwined with one another.

Diaz will now be heading to court, suing Northwestern for those incidents. He is just the latest to do so as there have been multiple lawsuits filed against the school following the firing of head coach Pat Fitzgerald.