Northwestern fires Pat Fitzgerald after hazing inquiry

[Finwad32]

This article reads to me like 1 against the rest of the team. If it’s systemic and truly causing issues/trauma let’s figure it out and clean it up.

If it’s one kid who was a HS all-star with a fragile ego who didn’t make it or fit in and went scorched earth, let’s clean that up too.

Regardless, it’s Fitzgerald’s program to monitor. But, unless more people come out on the accusers side of the story, I think this ends where it started. Short suspension and keep it moving.

Ex-player calls for Fitzgerald ouster after inquiry

A former Northwestern football player on Sunday detailed his hazing allegations that sparked a university-commissioned investigation and said Pat Fitzgerald should no longer be the coach of the program.

www.espn.com

Well this aged well, quicker than a knife fight in a phone booth lol.

Eat that crow buddy.

 

[kcsu]

Well this aged well quicker than a knife fight in a phone booth lol.

Eat that crow buddy.

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Locals fully expect Fitz to get a hefty settlement. This is a huge blow to NW as the locals really like him.

 

[Geode]

The stuff described should be death penalty stuff. Shut the program down for a year. Get rid of all football staff. Every player transfers out, except the players that get to go jail. Start over from scratch. It doesn't even matter if some people didn't know. Sometimes innocent people get caught in the wake of fixing something.

The NCAA will be so mad that Southern Illinois may very well get the death penalty from this.

 

[Finwad32]

Locals fully expect Fitz to get a hefty settlement. This is a huge blow to NW as the locals really like him.

I wouldn’t be surprised. If it’s real, it deserves to be cleaned up. If not, then it’s a cautionary tale for others.

Football’s roots are deep, there are certainly antiquated practices. Some of it just doesn’t belong.

My theory’s always been if you see an @$$ole today, well then you saw an @$$ole. If you see them all day long, you’re probably the @$$ole.

Now mob mentality does exist and suppresses people at times when it shouldn’t, but, I wholeheartedly like to think that the majority of people out there would do the right thing. And if significantly more people than not are in agreement, that’s probably the right way in a world full of gray.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Locals fully expect Fitz to get a hefty settlement. This is a huge blow to NW as the locals really like him.

Yeah for sure. He will get a solid settlement and be a defensive coach in the NFL in 2024 season.

 

[PhatOrange]

Well this aged well, quicker than a knife fight in a phone booth lol.

Eat that crow buddy.

View attachment 229225

You weren't wrong though.

 

[Bayside44]

I knew this one was coming. Wasn't talking about the military and nor should a college football coach think that's what they are involved in, my whole point. Too often goofy fans and meathead coaches get confused here.

It's just so dumb with regard to athletics and the sport of football in my opinion, really dumb but again I forget who is actually coaching these players. TRUE LEADERS OF MEN!


Again, just dated nonsense. Take a set shot? stop right there. Having short hair versus long hair has nothing to do with "establishing good habits" or being disciplined. It's nothing more than a personal preference. That's it.

and with these idiot coaches it's nothing more than them trying to establish their dumb culture of conformity by getting a dumb haircut.

Using hair length as a judgement for anything is ridiculous. even more so when it happens to be being discussed with one's role or commitment as a player on a college football team.

Great youthful hair is mostly temporary. Let it flow!

 

[NKR1978]

Appearances matter whether we like it or not.

How exactly does the hair of a college football player matter?

 

[MikeSU02]

Great youthful hair is mostly temporary. Let it flow!

Agree!

I take pills to keep my hair now, I would kill to be young and have my natural flow back. Miss my hair from 1998.

I agree with IthacaBarrel in this thread. We're talking very serious and systemic accusations that cross numerous boundaries. This isn't one disgruntled kid. This is an environment that consistently put kids in the cross hairs of sexual assault, racism and other awful situations.

These HCs aren't gods. They are men. A lot of them have serious issues as they continue to come to light.

And you don't have to be standing over the body holding the smoking gun to be guilty. You know it, allow it, encourage it... you're part of the root cause of the problem. You have to be accountable.

 

[MikeSU02]

Locals fully expect Fitz to get a hefty settlement. This is a huge blow to NW as the locals really like him.

Screw them. Who cares?

They have like a $15bn endowment, are like the #10 college in the US and like top 25 in the world.

No offense to the locals, they can't have a guy like Fitz around.

 

[Newhouser]

Without looking, they seem like the Vanderbilt of the Big 10, with a much higher bar, as there are no academic slouches in the Big 10, unlike the SEC.

Personally I think when you are talking about big time athletics, academics are not a discussion point. Seems like the Big 10, with all their academic chest pumping, seems to also be the bedrock of abusive coaches and personnel across all sports - Nasser, the OSU wrestling thing, PSU, Northwestern. Big 10 cares about winning and cash just as much as the SEC, they just don't admit it and like some ACC schools (cough UNC) hide behind their superior academics.

I admire that the SEC owns it rather than be frauds about it.

 

[NKR1978]

I knew this one was coming. Wasn't talking about the military and nor should a college football coach think that's what they are involved in, my whole point. Too often goofy fans and meathead coaches get confused here.

It's just so dumb with regard to athletics and the sport of football in my opinion, really dumb but again I forget who is actually coaching these players. TRUE LEADERS OF MEN!


Again, just dated nonsense. Take a set shot? stop right there. Having short hair versus long hair has nothing to do with "establishing good habits" or being disciplined. It's nothing more than a personal preference. That's it.

and with these idiot coaches it's nothing more than them trying to establish their dumb culture of conformity by getting a dumb haircut.

Using hair length as a judgement for anything is ridiculous. even more so when it happens to be being discussed with one's role or commitment as a player on a college football team.

It's a lot harder to properly maintain long hair. If anything that shows way more discipline and attention to detail than a crew cut.

 

[orangeinohio]

Opinion piece about the unionization attempt of Northwestern football players in 2014.

Pat Fitzgerald stood against unionization in college sports. It could have saved his job.

Pat Fitzgerald once tried to suppress calls for college athletes to unionize. But his situation at Northwestern proves it would benefit coaches, too.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Scooch]

Locals fully expect Fitz to get a hefty settlement. This is a huge blow to NW as the locals really like him.

There are always “Locals” who support the coach come hell or high water. It’s the same all over. Locals supported Paterno. I’m sure there are locals supporting Huggins.

If it came out 10 years ago that Boeheim was drowning kittens in his pool there’d be some locals who’d say that’s just his personal life.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

It's a lot harder to properly maintain long hair. If anything that shows way more discipline and attention to detail than a crew cut.

Yep, that's why I went back to short hair.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Newhouser]

Total sideline issue but man does the Big 10 have some horrible coaching contracts - Fitzgerald has been awful since he signed his 50 million dollar deal, Tucker, Franklin...

 

[elimunelson]

There are always “Locals” who support the coach come hell or high water. It’s the same all over. Locals supported Paterno. I’m sure there are locals supporting Huggins.

If it came out 10 years ago that Boeheim was drowning kittens in his pool there’d be some locals who’d say that’s just his personal life.

well these coaches and these programs have effectively become the church for so many in this country. it's become a frankensteinian like deal. I'm not surprised people will drive to the end of the earth defending these coaches.

Northwestern is an academic institution. I'm not surprised 1% that they were not going to put up with any bull spit going forward.

Syracuse, i would hope, would do the same. They teetered with Jim Boeheim to some extent allowing him to drag basketball into two probations however these situations are different IMO.

 

[rrlbees]

Forgot one Dennis.

- - Should the perps be arrested and charged with sexual abuse and other appropriate charges?

 

[PoppyHart]

Is Kenosha still a no-fly zone? I feel for their poor residents who got dragged into this.

 

[rrlbees]

About time talk radio is hammering on the arrest factor of the perps.

 

[Scooch]

It continues to baffle me that all these meathead players and coaches in the super macho world of football just lovvvvvvve doing things that involve copious male nudity and blatant homoeroticism.

I swear football people act substantially gayer than any of my gay friends.

 

[orangeinohio]

It continues to baffle me that all these meathead players and coaches in the super macho world of football just lovvvvvvve doing things that involve copious male nudity and blatant homoeroticism.

I swear football people act substantially gayer than any of my gay friends.

You guys don't smack each others' as$es at SU football tailgates when you meet?

 

[DoctorBombay]

I knew this one was coming. Wasn't talking about the military and nor should a college football coach think that's what they are involved in, my whole point. Too often goofy fans and meathead coaches get confused here.

It's just so dumb with regard to athletics and the sport of football in my opinion, really dumb but again I forget who is actually coaching these players. TRUE LEADERS OF MEN!


Again, just dated nonsense. Take a set shot? stop right there. Having short hair versus long hair has nothing to do with "establishing good habits" or being disciplined. It's nothing more than a personal preference. That's it.

and with these idiot coaches it's nothing more than them trying to establish their dumb culture of conformity by getting a dumb haircut.

Using hair length as a judgement for anything is ridiculous. even more so when it happens to be being discussed with one's role or commitment as a player on a college football team.

Agree to disagree. Is it essential for success, obviously not. But, IMHO, it can help to set a tone, a theme, and I've seen many instances where it's been very effective.
And oh, btw- that set shot/chest pass reference was more age specific than anything else. Maybe times have changed, but Id still wager most young kids starting out learn the fundamentals of a sport before improvising on an their own. JMHO

 

[Symphony Steve]

Here's what the NCAA rules are regarding transfers. From 247:

"Players at Northwestern are free to leave and transfer to another school without penalty if they enter their names into the Transfer Portal within the next 30 days, according to NCAA rules. The NCAA allows players to enter the portal if their head coach is fired. The rule was put in place to help players whose coaches are fired in midseason, but this will be the first test of the rule less than two months before a season."