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“Though I maintain Northwestern had no legal
basis to terminate my employment for cause under the terms of my
Employment Agreement, in the interest of resolving this matter
and, in particular, to relieve my family from the stress of
ongoing litigation, Northwestern and I have agreed to a
settlement," Fitzgerald said in a statement through his
attorneys.
Details of the settlement weren't made public.
The private university in the Chicago suburb of Evanston has
been reeling from the scandal that rocked the athletic
department. Former football players filed the first lawsuits in
2023, alleging sexual abuse and racial discrimination on the
team. Similar allegations then spread across several sports.
Fitzgerald was initially suspended then later fired after an
investigation. The school concluded that he had a responsibility
to know that hazing was occurring and should have stopped it.
Fitzgerald denied wrongdoing and sued for $130 million. He
alleged the school illegally terminated his employment and
damaged his reputation, among other things. His case was set to
go to trial in November.
Last year, a judge consolidated his complaint and the student
lawsuits for the discovery process. Dozens of students provided
testimony that was used for both cases. The school settled
lawsuits brought by former football players earlier this year.
Fitzgerald said Thursday that the “rush to judgement” following
the lawsuits caused his family stress, embarrassment and
reputational harm.
“I have engaged in a process of extensive fact and expert
discovery, which showed what I have known and said all along —
that I had no knowledge of hazing ever occurring in the
Northwestern football program, and that I never directed or
encouraged hazing in any way,” he said.
On Thursday, Northwestern echoed the same sentiment.
“The evidence uncovered during extensive discovery did not
establish that any player reported hazing to Coach Fitzgerald or
that Coach Fitzgerald condoned or directed any hazing,” the
university said in a statement. “When presented with the details
of the conduct, he was incredibly upset and saddened by the
negative impact this conduct had on players within the program.”
Northwestern hired former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch in
July 2023 to lead an investigation into the culture of the
school’s athletic department. The school says it has since taken
steps to improve, including adding more anti-hazing training
requirements for athletes and additional steps to report hazing.
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