Scandalous behavior in Northwestern athletics isn’t limited to football.
Danny Parkins, afternoon co-host at The Score, reported on his show Monday that Northwestern baseball coach Jim Foster “was the subject of an HR investigation that found him to have violated university policy by engaging in bullying and abusive behavior.” But Parkins said the school did not speak with any players on the team.
“I received a tip Sunday on the heels of the spotlight on the athletic department because of football,” Parkins said. “And then as you pulled at the thread, it just kept going and going and going.”
“Our department’s annual review of all aspects of the Wildcats baseball program is ongoing,” an athletic department spokesperson said. “The well-being of our student-athletes remains Northwestern’s top priority.”
The football program, under coach Pat Fitzgerald, is under heightened scrutiny after the Daily Northwestern student newspaper revealed Saturday specifics of hazing incidents after the university suspended Fitzgerald two weeks without pay following an investigation. School president Michael Schill has since said he “may have erred” with the punishment.
On Monday, the Daily reported that three former football players alleged that a racist culture exists within the program, including racist attacks and remarks from the coaches and players. A Northwestern spokesperson told the Daily that the school was not aware of the allegations of racism.
Parkins said he spoke Sunday and Monday with nine sources around Northwestern baseball, including former coaches, people close to the program and current and former players. He also said he spoke with Foster for 30 minutes. Deviating from his regular show, Parkins read from prepared copy:
“Jim Foster has created a toxic environment that has run off coaches, broken the spirits of his team to the point where they likely will not be able to field a full roster this year and was the subject of an HR investigation that found him to have violated university policy by engaging in bullying and abusive behavior, making inappropriate comments about a female staffer and speaking negatively about his staff to other staff members. He also is alleged to have made comments that were racially insensitive and discouraged members of the team from seeking medical attention for their injuries.
“The university report did not find enough evidence to corroborate those allegations. However, the university did not speak to any players on the team while investigating those allegations. I did. And I have the specifics on all of the above allegations.”
Parkins said a player told him he was punished by running for nearly an entire 2 1/2-hour practice. Not only is that an NCAA violation, Parkins said, but Foster was an assistant at Rhode Island when a player died after a rigorous workout. Players told Parkins the run happened before the human-resources report was filed in November. The school began monitoring Foster after the report.
Foster made inappropriate comments about a female staffer and derogatory comments toward his staff and players. Players accused him of dissuading them from receiving medical treatment. In one example Parkins gave, a player with an elbow injury was told if he didn’t return by a certain day, he wouldn’t play. The player pushed himself and needed surgery. Another injured player told Parkins he was considering legal action.
Foster told Parkins that his reporting was a “hit piece,” that he disagreed with the HR report and that he denied dissuading players from seeing the trainer.
“Coaches complain. Maybe they wanted the job,” Foster, who was hired in June 2022, told Parkins. “Maybe the players aren’t good enough and are just making excuses or are disgruntled. Maybe it’s how they’re raised. It could be any of that stuff.”
The team went 10-40 in Foster’s first season, and Parkins said 15 players are in the transfer portal, including one who said Foster is the reason. Foster came to Northwestern from Army, where he was the 2022 Patriot League Coach of the Year and led the academy to four conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances.
