Ex-Northwestern athletes sign letter criticizing school for 'lack of due process' in firing of Pat Fitzgerald

A group of former Northwestern athletes sent a letter to the administration criticizing the university for lack of due process for former football head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

In a letter obtained by ESPN, 86 former Northwestern athletes including several of Fitzgerald’s former teammates signed the letter criticizing administrators. It said it “left a welcome mat out for the weaponization of sexual harassment, hazing, and racism allegations.”

Fitzgerald was fired July 10 amid revelations of a hazing scandal within the football program. David Braun was promoted to interim head coach for 2023.

Monday’s letter contends (president Michael) Schill was influenced by social media reaction and ‘abandoned foundational legal ethics’ in firing Fitzgerald,” ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg wrote.

The letter was scathing towards the administration by describing a knee-jerk reaction to fire Fitzgerald.

“By willfully ignoring due process, Northwestern University’s administration has left a welcome mat out for the weaponization of sexual harassment, hazing, and racism accusations to run rampant at Northwestern University,” the letter read, via ESPN. “Any allegation, true or not, will be allowed to cancel anyone’s career and destroy their reputation depending upon popular opinion, while simultaneously allowing the censorship of free speech.

“The collective gains of Northwestern’s Athletic Department over the last three decades, along with Pat Fitzgerald’s legacy and character, have almost been wiped out without any proof of guilt or, much less, even a thorough and proper investigation.”

The former athletes wrote in the letter that athletic director Derrick Gragg “fosters an environment of uncertainty, distrust, and censorship” within the department. It stemmed from Northwestern players wearing t-shirts that read “Cats Against The World” with Fitzgerald’s No. 51 from his playing days.

Gragg quickly denounced the shirts saying they were “inappropriate, offensive and tone deaf.”

“The university has released only an executive summary of the original hazing investigation, led by attorney Maggie Hickey from the Chicago-based ArentFox Schiff law firm,” Rittenberg wrote for ESPN. “Attorneys for former Northwestern football players, who have sued the university over hazing and mistreatment, also have called for the release of the complete report, as has Dan Webb, Fitzgerald’s attorney.”

The letter denounced any hazing and shared Northwestern’s feelings on the matter. But it still cited lack of investigation and due process for Fitzgerald.

“We share Northwestern University administration’s deep concern over the possibility that any student-athlete has been harmed by sexual harassment, hazing, or racism while at Northwestern University,” the letter reads. “We trust that these allegations will be fully investigated. However, until these allegations are properly investigated, and the lawsuits filed resolved, no judgment of guilt should be assumed, accepted, or touted by Northwestern University’s administration.”