Pat Fitzgerald 'vindicated' by settlement, seeking next job - ESPN

Former Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald said he feels «100 percent vindicated» in the wake of the August settlement of his wrongful termination lawsuit against the school where he was the head coach for 17 seasons.

Fitzgerald, speaking publicly for the first time since his firing in July 2023, told ESPN's «College GameDay» podcast that he has spent the past two years preparing to return to coaching and is actively seeking a return to the college sideline.

«I feel very fortunate,» Fitzgerald said, when asked how he has been received in the college hiring space. «I feel fully vindicated. It's been great working through this process. There's been conversations with a lot of folks. It's been face-to-face, it's been on Zoom, it's been phone calls. [My candidacy has] been received very well.»

Northwestern fired Fitzgerald amid allegations of hazing in the football program, and Fitzgerald subsequently sued the school for $130 million for wrongful termination. The lawsuit was settled in August, with the terms not disclosed.

After the settlement, Northwestern released a statement that noted «inappropriate conduct in the football program did occur.» It added: «The evidence uncovered during extensive discovery did not establish that any player reported hazing to Coach Fitzgerald or that Coach Fitzgerald condoned or directed any hazing.»

The school went on to compliment Fitzgerald's combined 26 years there as a player and coach and «wishes Coach Fitzgerald the best in resuming his football career.»

There have been significant university changes since the settlement was announced. The most prominent was the resignation of president Michael Schill, who fired Fitzgerald, two weeks after the settlement.

Fitzgerald said there