ACC commissioner and former Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips released a statement Thursday in the wake of being named as a defendant in two lawsuits regarding hazing allegations within the athletic department.
Phillips, Northwestern’s AD from 2008 to ’21, was listed among a group of defendants, including recently-dismissed football coach Pat Fitzgerald, in two of the lawsuits filed by ex-Wildcats football players in connection to the allegations.
In his statement, Phillips, who was selected to serve as ACC commissioner in December 2020, vehemently denied having knowledge of the hazing before vowing to “vigorously defend” himself as the proceedings move forward.
