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Pat Fitzgerald suspended by Northwestern following hazing investigation
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Pat Fitzgerald has been suspended for 2 weeks without pay after an investigation into hazing within the football program.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported Friday morning that Northwestern found hazing claims to be credible. The school did not find sufficient evidence that Fitzgerald and his staff knew of the hazing but concluded that staffers had opportunities to discover and report what was going on within the program.
Coach Pat Fitzgerald will serve a two-week, unpaid suspension beginning today and other measures have been implemented, including no more off-campus practices in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where the team trained in August for years.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) July 7, 2023
Fitzgerald released a statement on the statement accepting the 2-week suspension and vowing to maintain the program’s high standards.
“I was very disappointed when I heard about the allegations of hazing on our football team,” Fitzgerald said in a released statement. “Although I was not aware of the alleged incidents, I have spoken to University officials, and they informed me of a two-week suspension, effective immediately.
“Northwestern football prides itself on producing not just athletes, but fine young men with character befitting the program and our University. We hold our student-athletes and our program to the highest standards; we will continue to work to exceed those standards moving forward.”
Fitzgerald has been at Northwestern since 2001, becoming head coach in 2006.
Pat Fitzgerald will serve a two-week suspension without pay beginning today as part of penalties stemming from Northwestern’s investigation into allegations of hazing.
The investigation did not find that coaches knew, but believed there were opportunities to discover and report. pic.twitter.com/SeaIqIG0ei
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) July 7, 2023
A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.