Sixth former Northwestern player files suit against school amid hazing scandal

Yet another Northwestern player has filed a lawsuit against the school in connection to a hazing scandal that has rocked the program and led to the firing of coach Pat Fitzgerald.

The lawsuit filed today was the sixth by a former Northwestern player, who alleged he became a victim of the same “running” hazing technique many others have alleged. According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, the player alleged it happened while he was just 17 and that the player became a priority target in the hazing ritual after “being outspoken about his opposition.”

The Daily Northwestern, which first reported on the hazing scandal, described the “running” hazing technique.

“If a player was selected for ‘running,’ the player who spoke to The Daily said, they would be restrained by a group of 8-10 upperclassmen dressed in various ‘Purge-like’ masks, who would then begin ‘dry-humping’ the victim in a dark locker room,” The Daily wrote.

Needless to say the alleged practice detailed by the former Northwestern players sparked immediate outrage in college football circles, putting immense pressure on Northwestern.

The Wildcats moved relatively swiftly, canning long-time head coach Pat Fitzgerald shortly after the news broke.

With Fitzgerald out, the program moved to tab defensive coordinator David Braun as the program’s interim coach. It has also led to a handful of other lawsuits being filed against them.

The school has also seen an unfair labor complaint filed against it while a civil rights attorney has also been hired.

More reviews and more players are aiming right at Northwestern at this point. Still, it remains in the school’s hands to make this right, regardless of what comes out in this suit on Monday. It just might be the case where this matter continues to get a whole lot nastier for everyone involved before it gets any better.

With another Northwestern player coming forward with a new lawsuit there will be even more details to sort through in the coming days and weeks.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater also contributed to this report.