Pat Fitzgerald is no longer the head football coach at Northwestern. But a battle between Fitzgerald and the Wildcats may be forthcoming.
Following an investigation into allegations of hazing, Fitzgerald was suspended for two weeks. But as more allegations came out in the days following his suspension, Northwestern eventually decided to relieve Fitzpatrick of his duties.
In a statement (which was shared by ESPN’s Pete Thamel) released hours after his termination was announced on Monday, Fitzgerald referenced that following that investigation by attorney Maggie Hickey, “Northwestern and I came to a mutual agreement regarding the appropriate resolution following the thorough investigation conducted by Ms. Hickey. This agreement stipulated a two-week suspension.”
Fitzgerald added that “Therefore, I was surprised when I learned that the president of Northwestern unilaterally revoked our agreement without any prior notification and subsequently terminated my employment. Given this turn of events, I have entrusted my agent, Bryan Harlan, and legal counsel, Dan Webb from Winston & Strawn LLP, to take the necessary steps to protect my rights in accordance with the law.”
Fitzgerald: "Our program instilled in young men the qualities to become outstanding husbands, fathers, and valuable contributors to society. Our players were well-prepared to make a positive impact in the world, and I am confident in the success we achieved together."
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 11, 2023
The general feeling is that as bad as the situation has already been, it will get even more ugly if it’s played out in court.
The way that Northwestern has handled this process has been embarrassingly bad and they honestly deserve to have this dragged out in the public eye for a long time to come.
It sure seems NW was willing to keep (and protect) Fitz until the details became too toxic to keep him on. https://t.co/gKVACwmFOW
— The Darkest Timeline Numbersmuncher (@NumbersMuncher) July 11, 2023
A supporter of this lawsuit because if it gets to discovery we will find out exactly how many dollars one win was worth in 20222 https://t.co/RIwTFifnu7
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) July 11, 2023
Here’s the thing, to me, if Pat Fitzgerald truthfully and honestly didn’t know about these atrocities that were taking place within his locker room (which I struggle to understand how he couldn’t), isn’t that negligence and lack of awareness just as bad? It’s YOUR job to know.
— Cody Hills (@ByCodyHills) July 11, 2023
This is gonna to be f-u-g-l-y just like I said. The program already stunk. Now it’s gonna be toxic. After a Chernobyl-like meltdown, the fallout poisons the atmosphere for years. https://t.co/6nWnRbrGn0
— BiggerTen (@BiggerTen) July 11, 2023
It’s about to get really interesting in Evanston, for Fitzgerald and his successor. https://t.co/CseG6QAlxd
— Coach Usayd Koshul (@usaydkoshul) July 11, 2023
Fitzgerald, a Northwestern alum, has served on the Wildcats coaching staff since 2001. In 2006, he became head coach, a position he held until Monday’s dismissal.
