First lawsuit filed against former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald in hazing scandal

The first lawsuit was filed against former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald amid the hazing scandal within the program, according to ESPN’s Dan Murphy and Adam Rittenberg.

Fitzgerald was named a defendant, as well as university president Michael Schill and athletic director Derrick Gragg. A former player, who was not named, filed the lawsuit and said the program and its leaders were negligent in allowing hazing inside the team’s locker room.

It’s a wide ranging suit that names quite a few Northwestern figures.

“The lawsuit also lists the university, its board of trustees and former president Morton Schapiro as defendants,” the report read. “The player filed anonymously, but the lawsuit says he was a member of the team from 2018 through 2022.

“His attorneys, Patrick Salvi and Parker Stinar, said they have spoken to other former Northwestern players and expect additional football players and Northwestern athletes from other sports to join the lawsuit in the coming days and weeks.”

Stinar reportedly spoke to roughly a dozen players who played at the school over the course of the last 15 years. The player who filed the lawsuit Tuesday was subjected to hazing that included racial discrimination and sexualized acts.

“As an incoming freshman, because freshmen were the most targeted for sexual harassment and hazing, it’s just such an intimidating process,” Stinar said, via ESPN. “It really makes you lose faith in the program and your coaches. It makes you lose the love of your sport.

“It makes you feel deceived that you came to this university after recruiters and coaches came to your home and sat down with your parents and promised you’d be safe and protected. It’s had a profound impact on this young individual.”

Northwestern did not comment on the pending litigation but released a statement via ESPN.

Northwestern does not comment on pending litigation but released this statement to ESPN when asked about today’s lawsuit filed against the school and individual leaders. pic.twitter.com/z0H1dOTlUL

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) July 18, 2023

This lawsuit came on the heels of former Northwestern players hiring a civil rights attorney amid the scandal.

Northwestern fired Fitzgerald on July 11 in wake of the reports of hazing among football players. Fitzgerald 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.

Despite this, attorney Steve Levin clarified that the lawsuit is “not a case about Fitzgerald,” but rather “about Northwestern as an institution.” He also said there is “remarkable consistency” in the reports from both current and former players that has been “corroborated” by the report the university conducted.