Paul Finebaum discusses Northwestern situation, Pat Fitzgerald's future

Following an investigation into allegations of hazing, Northwestern found that hazing did occur but head coach Pat Fitzgerald didn’t know about it. Fitzgerald was suspended for two weeks. Shortly after, The Daily Northwestern broke the details of the hazing and the school announced it would reconsider a punishment in the case.

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum recently spoke on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, giving his thoughts on the situation and Fitzgerald’s future.

“Well, you need facts,” Finebaum said. “The easiest thing in the world right now, Cole, is to say, ‘Hey, the guy needs to go. I don’t think you can make that determination yet, but I think things have clearly changed since what we saw last week from the university, and that was a two-week suspension.”

In Northwestern’s investigation, it did not refute the claims that hazing occurred in the locker room. However, the report said Fitzgerald did not know about the hazing. Despite this, in The Daily Northwestern report, it was said that he seemed to know about some of the practices.

Since then, some Northwestern players have called the allegations exaggerated. Others, however, have hammered Fitzgerald, saying he knew what was going on. While a further report by Louie Voucher said that staffers knew about the hazing.

“I don’t know what they were basing that [two-week suspension] on. It seemed like a white-wash. Now, let’s find out, and we will. But, it does concern me, that regardless of what you said, that a school could make a judgement without really having all the information, and I think that happens often in college athletics, where you bring in some investigative panel, so to speak, that is too close to the university or the individuals and you get a white-wash,” Finebaum said.

“Of course, I’m gratified to see a student newspaper do something that the major media in one of the largest cities in America didn’t do, but I’m conditioned to that now. There’s very little reporting. But I also know the student reporter, you’re depending on certain aspects of and certain people, and I know that I’m deep in this answer, Cole, without giving you anything conclusive because you cannot come up with a conclusion yet until the university does an honest, complete evaluation.”

In Northwestern’s football history, Pat Fitzgerald is widely regarded as both the best player and coach in the program’s history. As Paul Finebaum noted, he’s also incredibly widely respected.

“Pat Fitzgerald, as I’m sure you already discussed, is one of the most respected people in the industry. He’s well liked. I’ve encountered him a number of times and I would put him on any top list of coaches that you respect, that you admire, and that you would be absolutely shocked to hear these allegations in relation to his program.”

Despite how well Fitzgerald is liked and how insistent Finebaum is that reports need to be proven, it’s also clear how serious of a situation this has become.

“Well, I think Pat Fitzgerald is hanging on by a thread right now, Greg, primarily because he got off so easy the first time around. I think if any of these allegations can be substantiated, he’s likely to lose his job.”

Northwestern issued a statement in light of the hazing scandal

Following the report from The Daily Northwestern, which included details about the hazing, much of which was sexual in nature, Northwestern issued a statement. In it, the school claimed to take decisive action after learning the facts of the case.

“Our first priority is to support and protect our students, including the young man who brought these matters to our attention and all student-athletes who had the courage to come forward in this independent investigation,” the statement read, via ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. “That is why the University immediately opened this investigation upon learning of the allegations and why we took decisive action once we ascertained the facts.

“Out of respect for the privacy of our student-athletes, we will not comment about the findings beyond what we stated in the release and executive summary of the investigation.”