Eight former players so far have hired attorney Ben Crump to pursue legal action against Northwestern in the wake of the football hazing scandal that led to the firing of coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Crump is partnering with Chicago-based law firm Levin & Perconti in any action against the university. In a statement released Monday, Crump said an investigation uncovered “a vast array of incidents of abuse.”
“Whether the coaches at Northwestern approved or participated in the harassment of these players or not, they are responsible for allowing and enabling a toxic, disgusting, and damaging culture in their programs,” Crump said in a statement. “Sadly, our research suggests that this kind of abuse of student athletes may be far more common on college campuses than we know, because there is tremendous pressure to keep quiet. It’s time for a reckoning to protect young athletes.”
Fitzgerald was fired July 10 after initially being suspended for two weeks without pay. Fitzgerald is also mulling legal action against the school for breach of contract.
Crump and the firm expect more players to join the legal action.
Northwestern president Michael Schill said players were exposed to “forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature, in clear violation of Northwestern policies and values” in announcing Fitzgerald’s termination.
Meanwhile, Northwestern is retaining all assistant coaches for the 2023 season. The school named David Braun as interim head coach for the entire upcoming campaign.
