Pat Fitzgerald sues Northwestern after firing in wake of hazing probe

Former Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald is suing the university and its president, seeking more than $130 million in the midst of his firing earlier this year.

In the lawsuit, which was filed in Cook County, Illinois, on Thursday, Fitzgerald claims that Northwestern breached his coaching contract when it wrongfully fired him for cause in July following an investigation into hazing allegations within the football program. He is also alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress and defamation.

Fitzgerald's attorney, Dan Webb, said in a news conference Thursday that Northwestern "destroyed (Fitzgerald's) reputation" based on "no legitimate reason or evidence."

"If there was ever an athletic coach at Northwestern University that should not have been terminated, it was Coach Fitzgerald," Webb said.

The lawsuit states that Fitzgerald is seeking financial compensation both for the $68 million in remaining salary on his contract, which ran through March 31, 2031, as well as his "lost ability to obtain similar employment" therafter.

In a statement released by university spokesperson Jon Yates, Northwestern said Fitzgerald "had the responsibility to know that hazing was occurring and to stop it" but failed to do so.

"The safety of our students remains our highest priority, and we deeply regret that any student-athletes experienced hazing," the school said in part of the statement. "We remain confident that the University acted appropriately in terminating Fitzgerald and we will vigorously defend our position in court."

Fitzgerald, 48, was suspended and then fired in early July after a university-commissioned investigation substantiated allegations of hazing within the Wildcats' football program. The university said in a statement announcing the move that the hazing uncovered by its investigation "included forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature."

In a series of lawsuits filed shortly thereafter, former players alleged that were pressured to perform "naked events," such as pull-ups or rope swings, and were "ran" by upperclassmen. One of the lawsuits characterized running as incidents in which a group of players held down a teammate without their consent and "[rubbed] their genital areas against the [person's] genitals, face, and buttocks while rocking back and forth."

At least 13 lawsuits have been filed in connection with the football hazing scandal, some of which allege that Fitzgerald and his coaching staff knew, or should have known, about the incident. Fitzgerald is named as a defendant in six of the 13 complaints, some of which were filed by anonymous plaintiffs referred to only as "John Doe."

Fitzgerald was one of the longest-tenured head coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision prior to his firing. He spent 17 seasons as Northwestern's head coach, leading the team to 10 bowl appearances and an overall record of 110–101.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.