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Jim Phillips, ACC commissioner and ex-Northwestern AD, named defendant in hazing lawsuit
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Jim Phillips has been named as a defendant in a new lawsuit that stems from Northwestern’s ongoing hazing scandal, according to a report.
That’s per ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, who says the player filing the lawsuit was a member of Northwestern’s program from 2018-2022.
Phillips has been the ACC’s commissioner since 2021, but prior to that appointment, he served as Northwestern’s athletic director from 2008-21.
A second ex-Northwestern player has filed a lawsuit against the university and its leaders. This person, listed as John Doe 2, also played from 2018-2022. Former Northwestern athletics director Jim Phillips, now ACC Commissioner, is listed as a new defendant in this complaint.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) July 19, 2023
Per Rittenberg’s report, the lawsuit is similar to a separate suit that was filed on Tuesday. That lawsuit also named members of Northwestern leadership as defendants, including ex-head coach Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern president Michael Schill and current athletic director Derrick Gragg.
On Wednesday, 4 former Northwestern players held a press conference to discuss allegations against Northwestern’s program. One player, former running back Warren Miles-Long, said the program was “rampant with sexual violence.”
Earlier this week, Schill announced that he has commissioned a pair of independent reviews into Northwestern’s athletic department. Here’s an excerpt from his letter to the Northwestern community:
In my view, which I know many of you share, we must ensure that we have in place appropriate accountability for the athletic department. We will implement the Faculty Senate’s prior request that we engage an outside firm to evaluate the sufficiency of our accountability mechanism including the Committee on Athletics and Recreation and our ability to detect threats to the welfare of student-athletes. I also believe it is important to examine closely the culture of Northwestern Athletics and its relationship to the academic mission. Both of these reviews will be conducted with feedback and engagement of faculty, staff and students, and both will be made publicly available.
Phillips is set to speak with reporters at ACC Kickoff next week in Charlotte.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.