More controversy swirls around the Northwestern Wildcats football team after coaches were seen wearing T-shirts at practice in support of head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who was fired last month due to hazing allegations in his program.
Fitzgerald clearly still has support in the Wildcats program as staffers were seen wearing T-shirts that read “Cats Against the World” with the No. 51 printed on them.
Offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian was among the group of coaching staff that was wearing the T-shirts, according to multiple reports.
Interim head coach David Braun of the Northwestern Wildcats is seen at Big Ten football media days at Lucas Oil Stadium on July 26, 2023, in Indianapolis. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Fitzgerald wore No. 51 during his playing days at Northwestern, where he was a two-time All American and won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 1995 and 1996.
Northwestern Athletic Director Derrick Gragg released a statement on the matter, calling the T-shirts “tone deaf.”
“I am extremely disappointed that a few members of our football program staff decided to wear ‘Cats Against the World’ T-shirts,” Gragg’s statement reads via ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. “Neither I nor the University was aware that they owned or would wear these shirts today.”
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“The shirts are inappropriate, offensive and tone deaf. Let me be crystal clear: hazing has no place at Northwestern, and we are committed to do whatever is necessary to address hazing-related issues, including thoroughly investigating any incidents or allegations of hazing or any other misconduct.”
Northwestern President Michael H. Schill explained the university’s decision to fire Fitzgerald after its investigation, saying he failed “to know and prevent significant hazing in the football program.”
Fitzgerald, who coached the Wildcats for 17 seasons, was initially suspended by the university for two weeks while an investigation was conducted. And while it was found that there was no “sufficient” evidence that the coaching staff knew about the hazing, the investigation found “significant opportunities” to find out about the situation, which includes a dozen current and former players who acknowledged it.
Pat Fitzgerald (Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports)
As more allegations came to the surface, which included “a culture of enabling racism,” Fitzgerald was fired, leading way to interim head coach David Braun taking over the football program.
The hazing scandal at the university only broadened to other sports, leading to multiple lawsuits against Northwestern.
Loretta Lynch, a former U.S. attorney general during the Obama administration, is leading a review of Northwestern after the hazing scandal. Lynch will review “processes and accountability mechanisms in place at the University to detect, report and respond to potential misconduct in its athletic program, including hazing, bullying and discrimination of any kind,” the school said in a statement.
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“Hazing has absolutely no place at Northwestern. Period,” Schill said in a news release that discussed Lynch’s investigation. “I am determined that with the help of Attorney General Lynch, we will become a leader in combating the practice of hazing in intercollegiate athletics and a model for other universities.”
In his 17 seasons as head coach, Fitzgerald owned a 110-101 record with five bowl victories, the most recent coming in 2020 in the Citrus Bowl, which was Northwestern’s last winning season.
More controversy swirls around the Northwestern Wildcats football team after coaches were seen wearing T-shirts at practice in support of fired head coach Pat Fitzgerald. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
The Wildcats went 1-11 in 2022, the worst record in Fitzgerald’s coaching career.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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