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Michigan analyst named as defendant in lawsuit filed by ex-Northwestern OL
By Paul Harvey
Published:
One Michigan analyst and a current member of Jim Harbaugh’s staff was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed Wednesday by a former Northwestern player.
According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg and Dan Murphy, ex-Wildcat lineman Ramon Diaz filed a lawsuit against Northwestern. That suit alleges he was hazed and mistreated while in the program largely because of his race.
Diaz claims he was hazed and mocked because of his Mexican heritage along with “microaggressions” from comments made by former OL coach Bret Ingalls. Ingalls served as the OL coach for the Wildcats from 2006-08 and was hired by Michigan as an offensive analyst in 2022.
Diaz’s lawsuit alleges Ingalls — along with former Northwestern assistant James Patton — made “racist, embarrassing, degrading, and harassing remarks” toward Diaz and other players. The lawsuit also claims Ingalls witnessed hazing incidents without taking any “action to address and/or prevent” them from happening.
Ingalls has released a statement on the allegations and the lawsuit, claiming Diaz’s accusations as “baseless” while indicating he has been proactive in conversations with Harbaugh and Michigan’s HR department:
As the baseless accusations against me have continued to unfold from a former player, I have been proactive in my communication with Coach Harbaugh and the Human Resources Department at the University of Michigan.
I have dedicated my entire career to mentoring and coaching young men of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. I respect all individuals and have continued to do that throughout my coaching career.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.