Amid detailed information regarding disturbing hazing allegations within the Northwestern football program, university president Michael Schill sent a letter to the school community regarding his decision to suspend head coach Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay.
In the letter, Schill said the initial investigation concluded that there was “no direct evidence” that Fitzgerald knew about the hazing incidents. However, the Northwestern president admitted he “may have erred” in his punishment for Fitzgerald following new detailed allegations, implying the punishment might have been too lenient.
“In determining an appropriate penalty for the head coach, I focused too much on what the report concluded he didn’t know and not enough on what he should have known,” Schill said. “As the head coach of one of our athletics programs, coach Fitzgerald is not only responsible for what happens within the program but also must take great care to uphold our institutional commitment to the student experience and our priority to ensure all students – undergraduate and graduate – can thrive during their time at Northwestern. Clearly, he failed to uphold that commitment, and I failed to sufficiently consider that failure in levying a sanction.”
