Michael Schill addresses overturning Pat Fitzgerald suspension, deciding on termination

When the hazing allegations against the Northwestern football program originally came out, head coach Pat Fitzgerald was only suspended for two weeks. Not during the regular season either, with University president Michael Schill having the punishment occur immediately. That was until more information came out, causing Schill to completely change his mind and fire Fitzgerald.

Schill sat down with the Daily Northwestern, the school’s student newspaper, to talk through the entire process. He explained why a two-week suspension for Fitzgerald was originally the call, saying there was no evidence the head coach knew of hazing. In the end, Schill admits it’s something he “weighed too heavily.”

“I believe individual culpability and knowledge matters in these things,” Schill said. “The report concluded that there was insufficient evidence to indicate that Coach Pat Fitzgerald knew about what was going on, even though there were some opportunities to find out. That was what I weighed too heavily.”

As more information began to come out, Schill said there was more thinking to do regarding Fitzgerald’s future with the program. He continued to read reports, meet with Northwestern officials, and people involved with the investigation. A thorough process he neglected to do before giving out an initial punishment.

Schill eventually felt like he had enough information to fire Fitzgerald. It was the “only choice” he had after finding out new information, mainly due to the reporting of the Daily Northwestern. Fitzgerald being there for over two decades did not factor into the decision, even if he is a Northwestern legend.

“I recognized that I wanted to rethink it,” Schill said. “I wanted to signal to the community that there was going to be something more in all likelihood. I spent Sunday reading and rereading the report. I also met with the executive committee of the Board of Trustees, and we discussed this. 

“In addition, on Monday morning, I met with the investigator and her associate, and what I did there was I asked them to provide me with details from the raw testimony of each person they spoke with. So we went person by person. I wanted to make the right decision with as much information as I could, and the report was a summary of the raw material. 

“But when you hear it, one by one, one instance of bad behavior after another, the magnitude of it hit me even more. I decided that the only choice, the only moral choice, was to terminate our relationship.”