05/02/24
July 10, 2023
Hazing in Northwestern's Football Program: Investigation finds evidence of hazing in football program, Pat Fitzgerald suspended. Former NU football player details hazing allegations after coach suspension. University president Michael Schill says he "may have erred" in determining Pat Fitzgerald sanction.
All 3 of those links are from The Daily Northwestern located there in Evanston.
posted by NoMich at 07:56 PM on July 10, 2023
I didn't read the articles closely enough to see how far back some of alleged behavior went, but with all the journalistic talent enrolled at Northwestern (with some presumably working at the daily paper), if there was smoke, the reporters were bound to find the fire.
Being the head football coach at Northwestern is a much more desirable job than it once was. I remember its days as the perpetual anointed doormat of the league. The program gradually became competitive and relevant. Hopefully they can find the right person to come in and get things headed in a positive direction.
posted by beaverboard at 10:51 PM on July 10, 2023
Yeah, good point about NU being a first rate journalism school. You better run a clean program there and Mizzou.
posted by NoMich at 08:10 AM on July 11, 2023
I've avoided reading too much about this, I just 'cannot' any more. The depth and 'acceptance' of the hazing makes me ill.
How is this sort of hazing a teambuilding exercise in any way? Surely it can't be 'we went through it, so you have to'.
I have no issue with rookies/freshmen having to do some grunt work, picking up pucks after practice, bringing tape to more senior guys, what have you, but this?
Fuck this.
posted by tommybiden at 12:30 PM on July 11, 2023
I played high school hockey and pledged a fraternity in undergrad in the late 1980's. I witnessed and experienced various forms of hazing in both of those situations. Nothing was this severe, and I'd like to think that even 15-18 year old me wouldn't have put up with it. "Our" hazing involved: (in high school hockey)-making underclassmen provide all hockey tape to upperclassmen, having underclassmen run extra laps at preseason dryland training, and doing a checking drill that was the functional hockey equivalent of an Oklahoma drill where we laid some pretty good hits on our younger teammates; (as a frat boy) it was more sleep deprivation and deep cleaning of the frat house; some drinking games (but our sober pledge brothers were required to chug only club soda); and some fairly light hearted games like "pledge invaders" with water balloons.
I never experienced or understood the nudity element of hazing. I know there were rumors of other frats doing "baby elephant walks" and the like.