Ex-North West player details ‘despicable and inhumane’ hazing allegations in program

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A former Northwestern player has said the alleged acts of hazing that took place on the football program were blatant, despicable and inhumane behavior.

Northwestern announced Friday that it has suspended coach Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay following an investigation into allegations of hazing. Northwestern said it did not find sufficient evidence that Fitzgerald or the coaching staff knew about the hazing.

The school said it received a report of hazing allegations in November. The former player who reported the allegations spoke to the Daily Northwestern in an article published Saturday and detailed what he said were widespread hazing rituals within the program.

The player was not identified in the story as he asked to remain anonymous. From the North West Daily:

If a player was selected to run, the player who spoke to the Daily said they would be held up by a group of 8-10 upper class men dressed in various Purge-like masks, who would then begin dry-hitting the victim in a dark locker. bedroom.

It’s a shocking experience as a freshman to see your freshman teammates get run away, but then you see everyone standing in the locker room, the player said. It’s just a really abrasive, barbaric culture that has permeated this whole program for years now.

The Daily obtained images of whiteboards labeled Runsgiving and Shreks List, containing a list of names indicating which players the player believed were due for execution.

The former player also said the signal for the hazing ritual was the clapping of hands on a player’s head. He alleged that the players understood that Fitzgerald knew about the ritual.

According to the player who spoke with The Daily, Fitzgerald repeatedly gave the signal during practices when players, especially freshmen, made a mistake.

The player believes some players interpreted Fitzgerald making these signals as knowingly encouraging the hazing to continue.

Fitzgerald said in a statement after his suspension that he was unaware of the alleged incidents.

I was very disappointed when I heard about the hazing allegations on our football team, Fitzgerald said in his statement. Although I was unaware of the alleged incidents, I spoke to university officials and they informed me of a two-week suspension, effective immediately.

North West football prides itself on producing not only athletes, but handsome young men with a character befitting the program and our university. We hold our student-athletes and our program to the highest standards; we will continue to work to exceed these standards in the future.

The Daily Northwestern article also mentioned other allegations of hazing rituals, including the practice where freshmen had to duplicate a snap from center to quarterback while both players were naked. He also cited a second player who noted the existence of the ritual.

Since Fitzgerald’s suspension began on Friday, it hasn’t affected his presence in the field preparations for the 2023 season. Northwestern went 1-11 in 2022 in the worst season of Fitzgerald’s tenure with the team. He has been the team’s head coach since 2006 and has a 110-101 record.

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