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Northwestern did not name an interim head coach
Monday when announcing Fitzgerald would not return. Defensive
coordinator David Braun, however, is filling in as a "liaison"
and could be elevated to interim coach, reports said.
Braun was hired in January after working as the defensive
coordinator at FCS powerhouse North Dakota State from 2019-22.
Athletic director Derrick Gragg returned to campus Tuesday to
address the football team in person. Gragg had been out of the
country on vacation and held a Zoom call Monday night to reveal
the Fitzgerald decision without taking questions from players.
University president Michael Schill did not attend that meeting,
leading some players to tell ESPN and Rivals that they felt the
administration's handling of the matter was "cowardly" and
disrespectful.
Fitzgerald, head coach at Northwestern since 2006, was fired on
Monday with $42 million remaining on his contract. That decision
came three days after the original discipline for Fitzgerald was
a two-week suspension without pay, all stemming from an
independent investigation that found hazing allegations were
"largely supported by evidence."
A player came forward to the student newspaper, the Daily
Northwestern, and revealed that the hazing allegedly included
coerced sexual acts. Fitzgerald was also accused of presiding
over a "culture of enabling racism."
--Field Level Media
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