80-20. This just torpedoed recruiting, donor giving and made the team/school a magnet for every "This is what aggressive male sports do to young men" drum beater out there. ESPN will run this into the ground. I'll be surprised if he makes it through this next week, although they may back off in fear of a lawsuit if it looks like it was too quick to judgement."The former player . . . told The Daily Northwestern that sexualized hazing activities took place in the team's locker room. One common practice, called "running," involved a younger player being restrained while eight to 10 older players engaged in a sexualized act in the locker room. Versions of "running" took place during certain portions of the year, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.
"It's a shocking experience as a freshman to see your fellow freshman teammates get ran, but then you see everybody bystanding in the locker room," the former player told The Daily Northwestern. "It's just a really abrasive and barbaric culture that has permeated throughout that program for years on end now."
I'd lay odds at 50-50 that Fitz is NW's HC on opening day.
Northwestern to reconsider Fitzgerald's discipline
Northwestern, in a letter sent late Saturday night, announced it will reconsider penalties for longtime Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald after new details emerged surrounding allegations of hazing in the Big Ten school's football program.www.espn.com
Fitzgerald
- Thread starter Indianaftw
- Start date
This is a national news story, not simply an ESPN feature.
I'm not sure I understand your position. Do you doubt the veracity of the claims or are you saying that, even if it happened, it's a nothingburger? If the latter, I vehemently disagree.
Simply stating a fact, he is most likely gone, and soon. Not a fan of hazing, I worked to get it eliminated from my fraternity in the last century. Also not a fan of trial by media and rush to judgement, but I think that has become SOP for large institutions with the thought it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission (let's get rid of him now to eliminate the issue, and if it turns out there wasn't one, mea culpa).
Where’s the trial by media?
They’ve reported corroborated stories. They’ve presented both sides. I haven’t seen an opinion uttered, but by all means show me if there has been. I’m sure there will be in the days ahead, all with an ‘if true’ statement attached to them.
@Indianaftw , you started the thread. If these allegations are true, what do you think? Happens everywhere? "Boys being boys?"
Did you not read what I said? My article listed nothing, his article went into extreme detail. Heres my post:
Yea I agree thats extreme whack job messed up, however, in my defense the article I linked didn't describe anything at all.
Edit: And if your article is true Fitzgerald needs to be fired asap. That is serious degenerate behavior.
Didn’t NU suspend him after being informed of all of these issues / details? Not sure why they’d alter their discipline of him when none of the facts have changed . . .
President has already said he’s going to reconsider
Maybe you should talk to Schill. He said he "may have erred in weighing the appropriate sanction."
Also, new details have in fact emerged.
Northwestern hazing scandal: New troubling details emerge
Northwestern's hazing scandal is a developing story.
saturdaytradition.com
Now this...Ohhh boy.
www.foxnews.com
Northwestern football players deny 'disheartening' hazing accusations, defend head coach Pat Fitzgerald
Following Northwestern's two-week suspension of head football coach Pat Fitzgerald, players have come forth denying all accusations of hazing in their program.
Now, everyone (PU guests included), let’s play a game…….
Exact same hazing scenario, timing of story, etc.
Except, it’s Ryan Day and OSU.
What happens from both the media and the school?
Exact same hazing scenario, timing of story, etc.
Except, it’s Ryan Day and OSU.
What happens from both the media and the school?
Hmmm
I suspect we never learn of it, but if we did the school, league offices and local media would likely sanitize.
One third stringer would be dismissed as coaches are hailed as heroes for protecting the team and the brand and rewarded by IU giving them one of our wins each of the next three years.
What new details have emerged of which Schill was previously unaware? Did the lawyer or her firm publish an addendum to their previously issued report, which was used as the basis for his punishment?Maybe you should talk to Schill. He said he "may have erred in weighing the appropriate sanction."
Also, new details have in fact emerged.
Northwestern hazing scandal: New troubling details emerge
Northwestern's hazing scandal is a developing story.
To be fair, we initiated two distinct investigations conducted by two law firms, neither of which were able to corroborate any of the allegations against Kevin Wilson, yet we pushed him out anyway in an effort to save face and obscure (at least attempt to) the poor management of him. I’m sure NU is scrambling to similarly cover themselves.
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Cleveland State may never get off probation at this rate.
In today's 24 hour news cycle 10K streaming outlets Click-based "media", how could it NOT be trialed by the same? I haven't (and won't) see the ESPN response, but this will most likely be a round table discussion with folks that are looking to make an impression to save their jobs. Will both side be covered? Hopefully. Will there be calls for immediate action/termination? Most definitely.
You'll have to ask him. My understanding is that a second former player has come forward in addition to the initial whistleblower. Also, a screenshot of a whiteboard in the middle of the locker room reflecting a "Shrek List" (guys apparently targeted for "naked slingshots" and "naked bear crawls") was provided to a media outlet yesterday. It's a developing story.
Why the reference to Wilson? First, it's a silly comparison. Hazing wasn't the allegation against Wilson's football team. Rather, the claims were that Wilson personally humiliated injured players, suggested they were worthless, were wasting a scholarship ("I'm paying $70,000 a year for you to sit on your ass"), etc. It's been a while since I've read anything about the formal investigations, but I do recall that Glass suggested Wilson's attitude toward injured players was a contributing factor in Wilson's departure. I also remember the dad of one of the players corroborating the claims, and Wilson himself admitting that he approached injured players and implied that they weren't useful members of the team, but the comments were just "jokes."
If what's being reported is true, do you think he should be terminated?
Great question. If he knew about it, most definitely (and it's trending that he did). If he didn't, that still raises questions about competence/engagement with what's going on with HIS team, so that leans towards yes. Having said that, I like Fitz and what he represents and what he's done with that team and the image of NW football. if it comes down to it and all of this plays out as true, I'd love to see him take the high road and resign. Probably won't happen, but if he went that way (and he was in the dark) I think it would leave the door open for him to land a spot somewhere else in a few years.
The comparison of Wilson’s matter was merely to illustrate how investigations can and often are conducted. It’s not “silly” if one understands how those processes are undertaken. As for his ridiculing talk, it’s not an uncommon tactic for coaches at that level to behave in that manner. We had a HOF hoops coach who had a penchant for some pretty biting stuff. Glass loved Wilson until he didn’t, then he ran him off. His biggest error was hiring him, something other programs had chosen to not do due to reputational issues (some of which were “earned” coincidentally, while he was an assistant at NU).
As for NU, there is nothing to suggest that new information was discovered and / or revealed to their President. He might’ve been less than fully informed by his AD and, as a result, was blindsided by the media reporting, but there’s nothing to even hint at anything new. Far more likely is the blowback from the public revelation of the salacious and disgusting (alleged) conduct, which makes PF’s two week unpaid holiday look like a $5 parking ticket. He’s just reacting to the negative publicity.
Right, depends what he knew and when. Other coaches have the same questions regarding themselves.
If they knew nothing then what measures will be taken to be sure staff is better engaged in the future.
My dad graduated from HS around 1948. He once told me that hazing used to be much more common. Then, after WWII, thousands of combat veterans became college freshmen. No pencil-necked junior 3rd stringers were going to haze those guys.
More troubles for Fitz and the program
dailynorthwestern.com
Baseball coach is also in the crosshairs
Gotta assume the AD is about to get gone.
Former NU players describe racist environment in football program
Three former Northwestern football players described a “culture of enabling racism” to The Daily, recalling multiple racist actions and remarks from both coaching staff and players. All three players, who played for the team in late 2000s, also corroborated some of the hazing allegations...
dailynorthwestern.com
Baseball coach is also in the crosshairs
Gotta assume the AD is about to get gone.
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Hazing is nothing new for football programs. Many years ago I read a book written by a former University of Texas player in the early 1960s. He described freshmen players as having to endure "record races." Those races consisted of players placing records in the anus of another player. if the player dropped the record then the original record placer would have to put the record back in the other's backside.
Would imagine more than just Fitz could be in serious trouble here. If any current players are engaging in this stuff, it would stand to reason that they’d be booted, as well.
I actually agree with some of this, but it's difficult to get past the tone of your posts which typically reek of condescension. Are you aware of this and that's your intent, or are you completely oblivious?
With respect to your second sentence, I don't know much about how the "investigative process was undertaken" at Northwestern nor what the detailed findings were and neither do you because private institutions are not required to publicly report that information. Northwestern released merely a two page executive summary which had little in the way of detail. That's another reason why the IU/NU comparison, apples and oranges, was silly.
Seemed inevitable with the developing story.
Fitz will end up at Ohio State as an assistant.
If you feel condescension, maybe you should read your posts and then consult the nearest mirror and ask it nicely what a lack of self-awareness means.
Otherwise, should be an interesting week at NU.
I bet most football players are closeted....... It's funny that people think soccer Is gay. lol
Crain's Chicago reporting that there is a pause on the new stadium too.
