Former Northwestern player claims hazing from show included sexualized acts after coach was suspended

Several hazing incidents within Northwestern’s football program included sexualized acts, according to a former player.

A former football player at the school, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed to have The Daily Northwest that the sexualized acts were directed by upperclassmen to punish younger players for mistakes made in training or games.

The incidents of sexualized hazing allegedly took place in the team locker room, which was often dark.

A common practice, dubbed ‘running’, reportedly involved a younger player being pinned down while eight to 10 upperclassmen, clad in ‘Purge’ masks, would begin to ‘dry ride’ them. The ‘run’ was often held around Thanksgiving and Christmas with versions called ‘Runsgiving’ and ‘Runsmas’.

“It’s a shocking experience as a freshman watching your freshman teammates run, but then you see everyone standing around in the locker room,” the former player told The Daily Northwestern. “It’s just a really abrasive, barbaric culture that has permeated that entire show for years.”

The former player reported his claims to Northwestern in late 2022 and spoke to investigators during the six-month investigation led by attorney Maggie Hickey of the ArentFox Schiff law firm, commissioned by the school.

The investigation report cited an “anonymous informant” and that the hazing claims could be “largely supported.”

The investigation’s findings were released Friday and coach Pat Fitzgerald was suspended for two weeks without pay after the publication.

The school said the investigation found “sufficient” evidence that the coaching staff knew about the ongoing hazing. But the researchers found there were “significant opportunities” to find out and report the conduct.

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Fitzgerald began serving his suspension Friday. He said in a statement that he was “very disappointed” when he learned of the hazing allegations.

“Northwestern Football prides itself on producing not only athletes, but excellent young people with character befitting the program and our university,” he said. ‘We hold our student-athletes and our program to the highest standards; We will continue to work to exceed those standards in the future.’

Investigators said the hazing often occurred in the team’s locker room and the activities may have started at his former training camp in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Northwestern said Friday it will no longer hold a camp in Kenosha and that someone not affiliated with the program will monitor the locker room.

The school said it will require annual anti-hazing training for coaches, staff members and athletes with an emphasis on reporting options and responsibility for reporting, as well as discipline.

Other steps include creating an online tool for athletes to report hazing anonymously and forming an internal task force of Northwestern leaders “in various disciplines” to “create a report on policy development, culture organization, communication, training and compliance’.

The sexualized acts were allegedly directed by a senior to punish younger players for mistakes made in training or games.

The findings of the investigation were released Friday with coach Pat Fitzgerald (pictured) suspended for two weeks without pay.

The school also said it will work with the NCAA and the Big Ten to “ensure all processes and rules are followed.”

“Northwestern Athletics prides itself on providing a world-class student-athlete experience, including a safe and respectful environment for all of our students, coaches and staff,” said Athletic Director Derrick Gragg. “We respect the courage of the people who volunteered to let us know about the issue, and we promise to do our part to create a more positive environment going forward.”

Fitzgerald’s suspension comes after the Wildcats went 1-11 last season in their worst record since the 1989 team went 0-11. They have lost 17 of their last 18 games.

Fitzgerald is 110-101 in 17 seasons in charge of his alma mater and is by far the winningest coach at the school. He led the Wildcats to Big Ten West championships in 2018 and 2020, along with five bowl wins. But they’re 4-20 over the past two seasons.

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