Former Northwestern football players announce lawsuit against university over hazing incidents

Multiple former Northwestern football players have filed a lawsuit against the school Monday over hazing and abuse they suffered during their time with the team, according to USA Today. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump of the Chicago law firm Levin & Perconti will represent the players. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of former Northwestern quarterback and wide receiver Lloyd Yates, per USA Today.

The lawsuit details the “physical, sexual and emotional abuse” the players endured from other members of the team. The allegations first sprouted from “The Daily Northwestern,” the student newspaper at Northwestern University. The newspaper quoted multiple former players, claiming coach Pat Fitzgerald fostered a hazing culture that included racism.

Per USA Today, Northwestern assistant coaches were “ran” by players “on more than one occasion.” According to the report, the complaint defines “running” as incidents in which a group of players forcibly held down a nonconsenting individual and “[rubbed] their genital areas against the [person’s] genitals, face, and buttocks while rocking back and forth.”

According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, longtime assistant coach Matt McPherson is “accused of witnessing acts of hazing and not stopping them or reporting them.” The complaint lists two unnamed assistant coaches who were hazed in the same manner as players, per Rittenberg.

“During a training session during the Fall of 2015 or Spring of 2016, a strength and conditioning coach was ‘ran’ by members of the football team, on the field, in front of the entire team and coaching staff,” the lawsuit alleges, per USA Today. The lawsuit does not provide details of the incident, nor does it list players that participated, per USA Today.

Northwestern fired Fitzgerald on July 11 in wake of the reports of hazing among football players. He had been the coach for the past 17 seasons, so was with the program throughout the entirety of the time the alleged incidents occurred. He hired attorney Dan Webb shortly after his firing and claims he had no knowledge of any hazing activities.

Since then, two other lawsuits have been filed against the school, Fitzgerald and other leaders including former athletic directors and presidents including now-ACC commissioner Jim Phillips. However, Steve Levin, the attorney for one of the players in this lawsuit, said earlier this month that the lawsuit it “not a case about Fitzgerald,” but rather “about Northwestern as an institution.”

Levin added there is “remarkable consistency” in the reports from both current and former players that has been “corroborated” by the report the university conducted.

“Northwestern itself based on an investigation that they commissioned, apparently felt that certain administrators at the university should have known about what happened,” Levin said. “We also know that if something has occurred this long over this period of time, involving this many students, it seems reasonable to assume that someone either knew or should have known. It’s distracting from the institution to try to pin this on one individual. It’s a systemic problem at the university.”

Northwestern launches two external reviews following hazing scandal

Fitzgerald wasn’t the only coach to be fired this month. Northwestern also fired baseball coach Jim Foster after reports that he, too, had created a “toxic environment” within in program.

In light of those firings, president Michael Schill is taking action. He announced two external reviews on Tuesday in a letter to Northwestern faculty and staff.

One review will look into how the athletic department detects threats and assesses accountability, and the other one will look into the culture of the athletic department. In addition, the university will make both reviews public upon completion.

“I write to you today to give you my commitment that I will continue to do whatever is necessary to address this situation and ensure that our athletic program remains one you can be proud of and one that is fully aligned with and reflects our values,” Schill wrote. “Equally important, I give you my commitment that we will redouble our efforts to safeguard the welfare of each and every student-athlete at Northwestern.

“Shortly after learning the results of the independent investigation, Combe Family Vice President for Athletics & Recreation Derrick Gragg and I announced a series of steps including the monitoring of the football locker room, anti-hazing training and the establishment of an online reporting tool for complaints. These steps, while necessary and appropriate, are just the start, and we will be augmenting them in the coming weeks in close consultation with faculty, trustees and other University constituents.”