Northwestern announced Tuesday that it has hired former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to conduct an independent review of its athletics programs and culture in the wake of recent scandals and wide allegations of hazing.
Lynch will be tasked with leading a review of “processes and accountability mechanisms in place at the University to detect, report and respond to potential misconduct in its athletics programs, including hazing, bullying and discrimination of any kind.”
Lynch, who served as attorney general under President Barack Obama from 2015-17, is currently a partner with the New York-based law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
“Hazing has absolutely no place at Northwestern. Period,” university president Michael Schill said in a school release Tuesday.
“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.”
The results of Lynch’s investigation will be made public.
The move comes in the aftermath of hazing allegations made against the football program while under the direction of coach Pat Fitzgerald, which resulted in his termination. Allegations then mushroomed into other sports, also leading to the dismissal of Wildcats baseball coach Jim Foster, who was accused of bullying and abusive behavior.
Myriad lawsuits from football players and athletes across the sports spectrum have been — or are being — brought against Northwestern.
In addition to the probe led by Lynch, Northwestern announced earlier this month that it would launch a review focusing on the university’s “ability to detect threats to the welfare of student-athletes.”
Fitzgerald was first suspended after an initial independent investigation, led by outside attorney Maggie Hickey of law firm ArentFox Schiff, found that hazing existed within the football program but that Fitzgerald had no knowledge of it.
The school fired him days later on July 10.
