Report: Pat Fitzgerald will be parent volunteer with Loyola Academy football team

Former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who was fired in early July amid the fallout of a hazing scandal, has found a coaching role this season. Fitzgerald has joined the football program at Loyola Academy, a Chicago-area high school, as a parent volunteer, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.

Fitzgerald’s two sons attend Loyola Academy. As a parent volunteer, Fitzgerald went through trainings and a background check, according to Rittenberg. The school has confirmed that Fitzgerald is a parent volunteer this year.

In July, Northwestern initially announced Fitzgerald would be suspended for two weeks without pay in the summer after an internal investigation into hazing among the football team. After details of the hazing started to become public, Northwestern quickly reversed course and fired Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald said “great pride” is taken in what Northwestern accomplished over nearly the past two decades within the football program.

“I had the privilege of serving as the Head Football Coach at Northwestern University for the past 17 years,” Fitzgerald said via ESPN’s Pete Thamel after his ouster. “As a former Wildcat player who played a part in a remarkable transformation of our program, it was a tremendous honor to have the opportunity to lead the team. I take great pride in the achievements we accomplished during my tenure both on and off the field.”

Fitzgerald and a number of former players have since filed lawsuits against the school and administrators, with many of the lawsuits brought by players naming Fitzgerald as a defendant.

In the fallout of the football hazing scandal, alleged abusive cultures within other teams in the athletic department emerged. It has led the school to essentially try and audit the department, getting an outside review of the athletic department by former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Fitzgerald still has supporters within the Northwestern football program

When firing Fitzgerald, Northwestern retained the assistant coaches on his staff. And at a recent fall practice, they were spotted wearing shirts emblazoned with a message of “Cats against the World” and Fitzgerald’s number from his Wildcats playing days: 51.

The move from these apparent Fitzgerald loyalists drew a stern response from athletic director Derrick Gragg.

“I am extremely disappointed that a few members of our football program staff decided to wear “Cats Against the World” t-shirts. Neither I nor the University was aware that they owned or would wear these shirts today. The shirts are inappropriate, offensive and tone deaf. Let me be crystal clear: hazing has no place at Northwestern, and we are committed to do whatever is necessary to address hazing-related issues, including thoroughly investigating any incidents or allegations of hazing or any other misconduct,” Gragg said in a statement.

When asked about the shirts, interim head coach David Braun demurred, citing free speech for members of his staff.