Northwestern University hit with suit accusing baseball coach of bullying, latest in series of hazing lawsuits

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Three former members of Northwestern University's baseball coaching staff filed a lawsuit against the school on Monday, saying they lost their jobs for trying to report bullying and derogatory abuse by the team's head coach, who has since been fired.

The ex-staffers say Jim Foster's coaching was rife with toxic and volatile behavior throughout the 2022-23 season, and that the school protected Foster after they filed a human resources complaint against him.

Northwestern says the lawsuit suit "lacks merit" and vowed to fight it in court, and Foster did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday.

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Foster was sacked on July 13, just three days after football coach Pat Fitzgerald was dismissed because of a hazing scandal. The university faces more than a dozen lawsuits for hazing, racism and bullying in its football — and now baseball — programs.

"Only when the media found out about Coach Foster’s abuse did Northwestern choose to do something," Christopher Beacom, the former director of baseball operations, told reporters Monday. "They swept our reports under the rug, putting their staff, student athletes and reputation at risk."

Beacom is suing the school alongside two ex-assistant coaches, Michael Dustin Napoleon, and Jonathan R. Strauss.

Northwestern head coach Jim Foster looks on during a college baseball game on Feb. 26, 2023, in South Carolina. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford, File)

Their attorney, Christopher J. Esbrook, said they’re suing the school for negligence because it allowed the head coach to create such a toxic environment and