Pat Fitzgerald fired

[Michchamp]

Kinda surprising, as the allegations of team hazing seemed to come out of nowhere.

Can't imagine the AD wanted to find a new HC right now, but then again, you can't get much worse than 1-11, so it was probably as good a time as any. Fitzgerald had 8 years left on his contract, and presumably they can fire him for cause over this and save a lot of money. Not Mel Tucker money, but still.

 

[thewolverines24]

They started the investigation in December last year after a former student sent an anonymous email complaining about the hazing in November 2022. They went through emails and player survey data as far back as 2014. I'm not sure when the investigations findings were released, but that might be way this kind of came out of nowhere. That and no one cares about NW sports.

 

[Michchamp]

They started the investigation in December last year after a former student sent an anonymous email complaining about the hazing in November 2022. They went through emails and player survey data as far back as 2014. I'm not sure when the investigations findings were released, but that might be way this kind of came out of nowhere. That and no one cares about NW sports.

some people have opined that this was all a maneuver to get rid of Fitzgerald.

I didn't think that was likely if it was spontaneous, but the December timing does seem more suspect, i.e. the comments that NU wouldn't have started the investigation if Fitz had a 11-1 year instead of 1-11.

But either way... he probably deserved to be fired assuming the allegations are true

Dumb guys (like this idiot who should already know better) have defended Fitzgerald, but there's just no way this kinda crap should go on at University facilities without the coach knowing or finding out and putting a stop to it.

 

[Spartanmack]

some people have opined that this was all a maneuver to get rid of Fitzgerald.

I didn't think that was likely if it was spontaneous, but the December timing does seem more suspect, i.e. the comments that NU wouldn't have started the investigation if Fitz had a 11-1 year instead of 1-11.

But either way... he probably deserved to be fired assuming the allegations are true

Dumb guys (like this idiot who should already know better) have defended Fitzgerald, but there's just no way this kinda crap should go on at University facilities without the coach knowing or finding out and putting a stop to it.

Yeah, that guy is a complete idiot...

 

[byco42]

Any chance this thread could be moved to NCAA General?

 

[Michchamp]

Any chance this thread could be moved to NCAA General?

this board has so little traffic (especially in the summer) that I feel like we need more topics, not less, but it's not a big deal to me.

 

[byco42]

this board has so little traffic (especially in the summer) that I feel like we need more topics, not less, but it's not a big deal to me.

Sorry ... I'm being rather picayune about it. Never mind.

 

[byco42]

Anyway: If Fitzgerald was 11-1 last season, the athletic dept. would encourage him to sustain and even escalate the hazing.

 

[tinselwolverine]

Anyway: If Fitzgerald was 11-1 last season, the athletic dept. would encourage him to sustain and even escalate the hazing.

Probably.

 

[Michchamp]

Anyway: If Fitzgerald was 11-1 last season, the athletic dept. would encourage him to sustain and even escalate the hazing.

maybe there's something in the water in Evanston? I had a classmate in law school who played baseball there & talked about his former teammates' dicks and balls (and related hazing antics) WAY more than any heterosexual male I knew.

I asked another guy who played college baseball elsewhere if that was normal in college locker rooms and he was like "HELL NO!"

 

[rumseyhouse77]

There is very low tolerance for any of this sort of thing these days. I recall back when I was living in West Quad (77 or 78) there was an incident where a Michigan hockey player was found outside somewhere on campus naked with ALL his hair shaved off. I think he was hospitalized for hypothermia. I don't think it was in the winter, but maybe late fall. Turned out it was a part of the hazing freshmen on the hockey team were put through. I think they put a stop to it.

 

[rumseyhouse77]

maybe there's something in the water in Evanston? I had a classmate in law school who played baseball there & talked about his former teammates' dicks and balls (and related hazing antics) WAY more than any heterosexual male I knew.

I asked another guy who played college baseball elsewhere if that was normal in college locker rooms and he was like "HELL NO!"

Just takes one or two guys to get that sort of thing going and then all (or nearly all) fall into the group think mentality. If Fitz knew and didn't put a stop to it he deserves to be fired.

 

[byco42]

There is very low tolerance for any of this sort of thing these days. I recall back when I was living in West Quad (77 or 78) there was an incident where a Michigan hockey player was found outside somewhere on campus naked with ALL his hair shaved off. I think he was hospitalized for hypothermia. I don't think it was in the winter, but maybe late fall. Turned out it was a part of the hazing freshmen on the hockey team were put through. I think they put a stop to it.

I had moved out of West Quad by then but I distinctly remember that incident. Now that you remind me of it.

 

[Michchamp]

Just takes one or two guys to get that sort of thing going and then all (or nearly all) fall into the group think mentality. If Fitz knew and didn't put a stop to it he deserves to be fired.

I rushed a fraternity that hazed, but not that bad... no nudity/sexual stuff or physical beating. some of the activities were more of a bonding experience where everyone was laughing along together.

It was the older guys who sucked, who nobody liked, and who were stupid, or had already failed out but were still hanging around the house that took it really seriously.

I assume it's the same on sports teams; the guy or guys leading hazing are like the 2nd team senior lineman... not anyone with actual talent or who are looked up to as leaders.

To add... and yeah, bad actors like that are locker room cancer, and the coach absolutely needs to put a stop to it. If he doesn't, they drag everyone down with them. Throwing out the "Twilight Zone" season (2020), NU football has been lousy since 2019 (3-9). The inmates are running the asylum?

 

[rumseyhouse77]

Except for a few years Northwestern has been the door mat of Big Ten football for as long as I can remember.

I saw a story that Ed Orgeron has interest in the head coaching position. Story also mentioned Urban Meyer. Would NW sink so low as to take Urban? I hope not! If they do they should be booted from the Big Ten.

 

[Michchamp]

Except for a few years Northwestern has been the door mat of Big Ten football for as long as I can remember.

I saw a story that Ed Orgeron has interest in the head coaching position. Story also mentioned Urban Meyer. Would NW sink so low as to take Urban? I hope not! If they do they should be booted from the Big Ten.

Ed O. doesn't seem like head coach material AND has no ties to the Big Ten. He comes off like a guy who just walked out of a swamp in Louisiana...

and yeah, I can't imagine them hiring Meyer... don't hire a scandal-plagued jerk like that when you just fired your coach in a scandal.

It's odd... it appears they named the less-experienced of their two coordinators as the interim HC. They made their DC interim, who's in his first year there and only coached and played at crappy small schools prior to NU. Their OC has been there for 4 seasons, is older and had a better resume. Maybe he's guilty by association?

Lucky for the interim guy they went 1-11 in 2022... promoting a kid over a more experienced older guy seems like a recipe for continued dysfunction, but I don't think 0-12 is meaningfully worse than 1-11

 

[Michchamp]

okay, so after that post, I feel like I've hit my limit of caring about NU football for the foreseeable future.

 

[byco42]

I think Mike Adamle is the last player that I actually admired who played for Northwestern.

 

[wlvrnstlr4life]

maybe there's something in the water in Evanston? I had a classmate in law school who played baseball there & talked about his former teammates' dicks and balls (and related hazing antics) WAY more than any heterosexual male I knew.

I asked another guy who played college baseball elsewhere if that was normal in college locker rooms and he was like "HELL NO!"

After I read what they were doing, I was thinking, thats not hazing that's gay- zing. I never witnessed shit like that before. What fucking idiot made that fun and cool? If I was on that team, as soon as I became an upper classman and team leader, I would've nixed that shit. Yeah guys, we're not doing the gay orgy thing any longer, unless you would like me to tell all the chicks on campus what you guys think is fun.