Northwestern settles hazing lawsuits; Pat Fitzgerald’s suit continues

A group of football players agreed to settle its lawsuits against Northwestern that concerned allegations of hazing and abusive behavior under previous coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Per Bloomberg News, "master settlement agreements" were signed but the final documentation was still being finalized. The group of plaintiffs, believed to total 25, will drop their claims against both Northwestern and Fitzgerald, who was fired in July 2023.

Fitzgerald's attorneys confirmed the settlement in a statement released to news outlets. However, their client is still pursuing wrongful termination action against Northwestern.

"He continues to assert that Northwestern illegally terminated his employment, violated an oral contract and defamed him, causing significant damage to his sterling reputation," attorneys Dan K. Webb and Matthew R. Carter wrote in a statement.

"(Monday), Northwestern tried to postpone the trial of Coach Fitzgerald's claims by nearly five months. The Court denied that motion and Coach Fitzgerald's trial will take place on November 3, 2025. He looks forward to having his day in court, where he expects a jury will hold Northwestern and President (Michael) Schill accountable for the extreme harm done to his personal and professional reputation."

A former Northwestern player accused hazing within the program in November 2022, but the university investigated and did not find evidence that Fitzgerald or his assistants knew about the hazing.

Fitzgerald was given a two-week suspension the following July, which prompted a letter signed by Northwestern players defending their coach, calling the allegations "exaggerated and twisted." Then three former players came forward to the student newspaper accusing Fitzgerald of racist remarks, and Northwestern decided to fire Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald -- a star linebacker at the university who is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and coached the Wildcats from 2006-22 -- filed suit against Northwestern later in 2023 claiming there was a verbal agreement from Schill that Fitzgerald would face no more punishment besides the initial two-week suspension.

Fitzgerald's attorneys said in Tuesday's statement that there is no evidence supporting the claims against Fitzgerald after an extensive discovery period.

"As previously stated," they wrote, "Coach Fitzgerald committed no wrongdoing."

--Field Level Media