Ex-Northwestern assistant Mike Hankwitz pushes back on allegations - ESPN

Former Northwestern assistant coach Mike Hankwitz is pushing back against allegations of hazing and racism in the program under former coach Pat Fitzgerald, outlining the many ways players could report abuse and mistreatment.

Hankwitz, who served as Northwestern's defensive coordinator from 2008 until his retirement after the 2020 season, defended Fitzgerald and the program in a series of social media posts Wednesday night. He said Northwestern had regular individual and group meetings throughout the year with players, who had direct access to Fitzgerald and also others around the program, including a sports psychologist, compliance officers and mentors.

Hankwitz also highlighted exit interviews players did when they left the program with Northwestern faculty members not associated with the athletic department.

«It was done this way in the hopes that the players would feel free to speak their minds about their experiences without fear of backlash,» Hankwitz wrote.

Northwestern fired Fitzgerald on July 10, three days after completing an investigation into hazing allegations within the program. The investigation largely corroborated claims from a single whistleblower, but did not find that Fitzgerald or other coaches knew of the activities. Nine former Northwestern players have filed lawsuits against the school alleging hazing and, in some cases, racial mistreatment. Several players alleged they were forced to participate in sexualized rituals in the team's locker room and at preseason training camp in Wisconsin. Some lawsuits alleged current assistant Matt MacPherson witnessed hazing incidents but did not report them. Northwestern is investigating MacPherson.

Some players said they feared speaking out about their