Opportunity knocked for Pat Fitzgerald in early 2020, and the Carolina Panthers were on the other side of that door. But he never answered it.
On Monday, Northwestern University fired Fitzgerald amid allegations of hazing, sexual assault, and racism within the school’s football program. After initially suspending the longtime head coach for two weeks without pay last Friday, university president Michael Schill decided to dismiss Fitzgerald when several scandals were uncovered by the student newspaper, The Daily Northwestern.
Before these troubling developments, Fitzgerald could’ve crossed paths with the Panthers back in 2020. In their search for a new head coach, following the nine-year tenure of Ron Rivera, Carolina reportedly had interest in interviewing the 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year.
But, as later noted by Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Fitzgerald turned down the chance to speak with the organization. The Panthers, of course, ultimately wound up on former Baylor University head coach Matt Rhule—who led the team to an 11-27 record before being fired in the middle of the 2022 campaign.
