Northwestern players announce they won't attend 2023 Big Ten Media Days

The trio of Northwestern football players slated to attend 2023 Big Ten Media Days this week in Indianapolis announced on Tuesday that they won’t be in attendance in the wake of widespread hazing within the football program and, apparently, athletic department. The players — Bryce Gallagher, Rod Heard II and Bryce Kirtz — were set to be available on Wednesday.

Interim Northwestern head coach David Braun will still be in attendance an available to media in Indianapolis. In a statement, the trio of players said they “did not want our participation to be dominated by the hazing issue” and take attention from the upcoming season.

“After talking with our parents, our teammates and Coach Braun, we have made the decision to not attend Big Ten Media Day. This was very difficult since we were excited about the opportunity to participate in this great Big Ten tradition, and to talk about the game we love and the season ahead,” the statement reads. “But given the recent events involving the Northwestern football program, we did not want our participation to be dominated by the hazing issue and steal the focus away from football and the upcoming season.”

Braun issued a follow-up statement, saying the decision for players to forgo the Big Ten Media Days was their call entirely. He reiterated he would be attending.

“The decision from our players to forgo Big Ten Media Day was entirely theirs, and they approached it with a great deal of maturity and thoughtfulness. I’m fully supportive of both their reasoning and the decision itself, and I look forward to attending the event,” Braun said in a statement.

Long time Northwestern head coach and legendary former player Pat Fitzgerald was ousted from his position in early July amid the fallout from an investigation into hazing allegations that substantiated much of what was alleged. A spate of lawsuits, both from former players and Fitzgerald, have been filed against the school and relevant parties.

Additionally, allegations of toxic cultures have arisen involving the Northwestern baseball and volleyball team. Northwestern baseball coach Jim Foster was fired in mid-July.

The statement from Gallagher, Heard and Kirtz emphasized how they want both their play on the field and off-field conduct to reflect well on Northwestern.

“We are proud members of the NU football program and want our on-field performance and off-field conduct to always reflect the values of the university and our fans,” it reads.