Northwestern fires Pat Fitzgerald after hazing inquiry

[kcsu]

Spot on. NW has a shiiii show on their hands

 

[MSOrange]

 

[djorange1989]

Oh yeah we knew this was coming. Between this and likely having to pay Meatsgerald the entire $40 million, it is going to cost NW a ton of cash, not to mention the ongoing PR beatdown. Even Rutgers will be licking their chops whenever they draw NW on their schedule, imagine winning 4 games in two years and then adding all this to the mess.

 

[NKR1978]

Oh yeah we knew this was coming. Between this and likely having to pay Meatsgerald the entire $40 million, it is going to cost NW a ton of cash, not to mention the ongoing PR beatdown. Even Rutgers will be licking their chops whenever they draw NW on their schedule, imagine winning 4 games in two years and then adding all this to the mess.

I'm not sure that he's going to be entitled to the $40,000,000, especially after what may come out during the other litigation.

Feel like the last thing Fitz or NU would want is for those players to testify under oath. Levin & Perconti, just based on their website and size, seem like a firm that at the very least has the resources for this type of suit.

Have a feeling this will all settle pretty quickly. Not going to have a Kevin Ollie situation.

 

[djorange1989]

I'm not sure that he's going to be entitled to the $40,000,000, especially after what may come out during the other litigation.

Feel like the last thing Fitz or NU would want is for those players to testify under oath. Levin & Perconti, just based on their website and size, seem like a firm that at the very least has the resources for this type of suit.

Have a feeling this will all settle pretty quickly. Not going to have a Kevin Ollie situation.

Yeah could be, Fitzgerald may just settle but if he doesn’t, it will be hard for NW to explain why they gave him a 2 week suspension AFTER they had all of the gruesome details that they tried to hide and that the student paper put out there. How do you say it’s with cause when all they originally did was give him the 2 week suspension and then fired him only because the info they already knew went public?

 

[sufandu]

Oh yeah we knew this was coming. Between this and likely having to pay Meatsgerald the entire $40 million, it is going to cost NW a ton of cash, not to mention the ongoing PR beatdown. Even Rutgers will be licking their chops whenever they draw NW on their schedule, imagine winning 4 games in two years and then adding all this to the mess.

You think Fitzgerald is going to get money? I would think the university had cause to fire him.

 

[sufandu]

Wait, so it wasn't just one guy with an axe to grind?

 

[cuseincincy]

Yeah could be, Fitzgerald may just settle but if he doesn’t, it will be hard for NW to explain why they gave him a 2 week suspension AFTER they had all of the gruesome details that they tried to hide and that the student paper put out there. How do you say it’s with cause when all they originally did was give him the 2 week suspension and then fired him only because the info they already knew went public?

Yep. It is always prudent to react assuming everything will "come out." The fact that nothing additional came up or happened between the suspension and the firing sounds like a pretty strong argument against NW. It's not about what's right. It's about legal enforcement and compliance with a legal contract.

 

[NKR1978]

Yeah could be, Fitzgerald may just settle but if he doesn’t, it will be hard for NW to explain why they gave him a 2 week suspension AFTER they had all of the gruesome details that they tried to hide and that the student paper put out there. How do you say it’s with cause when all they originally did was give him the 2 week suspension and then fired him only because the info they already knew went public?

That University is suffering from incredibly poor leadership.

 

[Orangefizz]

Just replace Northwestern with Notre Dame in the Big 10 and let’s all move on…

 

[rrlbees]

I’m not buying anything either side is saying. Until players start getting arrested it’s all just a money grab or excuses. Let these players suing go to the police and press charges. Then it gets real.

 

[GoCuse14]

agreed. I'm just saying that the people I know in Evanston are shocked by this. I'm only here off and on and I have zero ties to the program so I'm just relaying what I'm hearing from my neighbors. The local news reported over the weekend that many of the professors and employees of NW have asked for a pause on the new stadium until the athletic department is reviewed.

I am at 2 games every year for work...the locals dont care that much...the place is empty by halftime...unless they are playing someone like OSU...then there will be OSU fans left after the half.

 

[sufandu]

I am at 2 games every year for work...the locals dont care that much...the place is empty by halftime...unless they are playing someone like OSU...then there will be OSU fans left after the half.

Makes sense. A pro sports town.

 

[NKR1978]

I’m not buying anything either side is saying. Until players start getting arrested it’s all just a money grab or excuses. Let these players suing go to the police and press charges. Then it gets real.

I hope the police would take this seriously, but beyond a reasonable doubt is a significantly higher evidentiary standard than preponderance of the evidence, and that shouldn't be held against the victims if police/prosecutors don't feel it's worth it.

 

[djorange1989]

That University is suffering from incredibly poor leadership.

There have to be firings coming

 

[djorange1989]

I am at 2 games every year for work...the locals dont care that much...the place is empty by halftime...unless they are playing someone like OSU...then there will be OSU fans left after the half.

Yep Illinois is a Big 10 state, but NW is probably fifth or sixth on the list of who people care about, not including non-Big 10 ND

 

[NKR1978]

There have to be firings coming

People thought SU handled the Boeheim "retirement" poorly. This is a master class in horrible management.

 

[rrlbees]

I hope the police would take this seriously, but beyond a reasonable doubt is a significantly higher evidentiary standard than preponderance of the evidence, and that shouldn't be held against the victims if police/prosecutors don't feel it's worth it.

It’s even harder when nobody presses charges.

 

[Eric15]

I’m not buying anything either side is saying. Until players start getting arrested it’s all just a money grab or excuses. Let these players suing go to the police and press charges. Then it gets real.

Bees I 100% agree with you that I hope the people responsible for these crimes (assuming that this isn't Duke 2.0 which seems unlikely at this point) face criminal charges, but the idea that it's a money grab unless they press criminal charges is too extreme of a take IMO.

It's a lot to ask a 19-year-old (who could potentially be traumatized by this) to go through a trial and have their life publically picked apart by some high-profile defense attorney via cross-examination.

 

[MSOrange]

 

[rrlbees]

Bees I 100% agree with you that I hope the people responsible for these crimes (assuming that this isn't Duke 2.0 which seems unlikely at this point) face criminal charges, but the idea that it's a money grab unless they press criminal charges is too extreme of a take IMO.

It's a lot to ask a 19-year-old (who could potentially be traumatized by this) to go through a trial and have their life publically picked apart by some high-profile defense attorney via cross-examination.

With all due respect, I couldn’t disagree more. One of those sexually abused has to have the nerve to press charges. I also don’t think that picking a kids life apart would even be allowed. It doesn’t have anything to do with sexual abuse in a lockeroom, especially with so many accusers. If these were female athletes attacked by male athletes I’m sure people would want them to press charges recognizing that some, not all, would not want to relive it.

 

[HtownOrange]

With all due respect, I couldn’t disagree more. One of those sexually abused has to have the nerve to press charges. I also don’t think that picking a kids life apart would even be allowed. It doesn’t have anything to do with sexual abuse in a lockeroom, especially with so many accusers. If these were female athletes attacked by male athletes I’m sure people would want them to press charges recognizing that some, not all, would not want to relive it.

Bees, I respect your opinion. One of the hardest things for prosecutors in sex assault cases is getting the victims to formally complain and then to testify. There is a real psychological component that the sexual assaulter holds over victims, real or implied. I cannot explain it, but I have seen this as close to the matter as I ever want to be.

I am not a prosecutor, if one is on here, maybe they will add insight.

I will also add that cops, who try to take this serious are not always trained as well as we would like and press too much when interviewing victims and witnesses, like they should with other crimes. Sexual assaults are different and are simply difficult formally in authority.

That said, if a complainant files a civil suit, they should be willing to file a criminal complaint. Regardless, if they prosecute any of the perpetrators, I am O.K. with throwing the book at them.

 

[MSOrange]

 

[baggerbob]

Bees I 100% agree with you that I hope the people responsible for these crimes (assuming that this isn't Duke 2.0 which seems unlikely at this point) face criminal charges, but the idea that it's a money grab unless they press criminal charges is too extreme of a take IMO.

It's a lot to ask a 19-year-old (who could potentially be traumatized by this) to go through a trial and have their life publically picked apart by some high-profile defense attorney via cross-examination.

You had that Doctor for the gymnastics team go unpunished for years.
It's hard for young people to come forward and go through the scrutiny that comes with a trial.
Society has a bad habit of blaming the victims, especially with unscrupulous lawyers.

 

[javadoc]

With all due respect, I couldn’t disagree more. One of those sexually abused has to have the nerve to press charges. I also don’t think that picking a kids life apart would even be allowed. It doesn’t have anything to do with sexual abuse in a lockeroom, especially with so many accusers. If these were female athletes attacked by male athletes I’m sure people would want them to press charges recognizing that some, not all, would not want to relive it.

Can you get a conviction based solely on he-said he-said evidence? That's a crapshoot. Who is the jury going to believe?