Northwestern hires former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch to lead independent review of athletics department

Former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch will lead a review of the Northwestern athletics department, the university announced Tuesday morning. NU announced its plans for two external reviews in light of hazing allegations within multiple programs.

President Michael Schill previously said the reviews would be made public, and the announcement reaffirmed that decision. Lynch — now part of the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison — will look into the culture of the athletics department while getting feedback and engagement from faculty, staff and alumni.

“Hazing has absolutely no place at Northwestern. Period,” 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. We will provide all of our students with the resources and support they need and do whatever is necessary to protect their safety and ensure that our athletics program remains one we can all be proud of.”

Lynch served as U.S. attorney general from 2015-17 under President Barack Obama. Previously, she served as the U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of New York from 1999-2001 and again from 2010-15. She joined Paul, Weiss in 2019 as a partner in the litigation department.

Northwestern athletic director Derrick Gragg also released a statement about the reviews.

“The Athletics Department welcomes this review as a critical tool in identifying the additional steps Northwestern can take to eradicate hazing,” Gragg said. “By making the results of her review public, we hope our entire community will be better informed and guided as we all work to address this critical issue in college athletics.”

Northwestern launched the external reviews into the athletics department just over a week after the firing of Pat Fitzgerald. Multiple allegations of hazing within the program came out via a report from The Daily Northwestern, and lawsuits have been coming out against the university in recent weeks.

On July 24, multiple players announced a lawsuit after enduring “physical, sexual and emotional abuse” from members of the team. 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.

The same week Northwestern fired Fitzgerald, the university also relieved baseball coach Jim Foster of his duties after allegations of a toxic environment within the program came out.

In addition, the Northwestern volleyball program is dealing with a lawsuit filed by a former player against head coach Shane Davis and others regarding an injury she suffered during an alleged hazing incident. Davis pulled out of Big Ten Volleyball Media Days this week in light of the lawsuit, which was filed late last month.

“Northwestern’s Board of Trustees fully supports President Schill’s decision to conduct this critical review and to engage Ms. Lynch to lead it,” NU board president Peter Barris said in a statement. “The board will cooperate fully with Ms. Lynch and her team and facilitate her work as needed.”