Ex-Northwestern player says coach Pat Fitzgerald 'failed' by not stopping hazing - ESPN

A former Northwestern football player who came forward with allegations of widespread hazing within the program spoke Sunday with university president Michael Schill, who is considering harsher discipline for coach Pat Fitzgerald.

The former player, who spoke to ESPN on the condition of anonymity, said he told Schill about the hazing he witnessed and experienced at Northwestern, much of which he said was sexualized. Schill, in a letter sent late Saturday to the Northwestern community, had said he will reassess the two-week suspension Fitzgerald received Friday following a university-commissioned investigation of the hazing allegations.

«Fitz absolutely knew about hazing in this program,» the former player told ESPN. «Fitz absolutely failed by not intervening. Fitz knew, and he should have made it stop; and if he truly did not know, he should not be the head coach. Either way, he should not be the head coach, because he is not monitoring and protecting the safety and well-being of student-athletes.»

Fitzgerald, the team's coach since 2006 and a decorated former Northwestern player, said in a statement on Friday that he had no knowledge of hazing activities within the program. The university's investigation, led by attorney Maggie Hickey and the ArentFox Schiff firm, found that while the former player's allegations were «largely supported by the evidence,» coaches did not know about ongoing hazing — although they had opportunities to discover and report problematic conduct. The school did not release specific findings.

Northwestern players on Saturday released a statement supporting Fitzgerald, saying he had no knowledge of the alleged incidents and that the accusations from the former player were «exaggerated and