Nearly three years after he last coached a Northwestern football game, Pat Fitzgerald has settled his wrongful termination lawsuit. The longtime head coach, who was released by the Wildcats during their investigation into hazing allegations, confirmed the settlement of the case on Thursday.
While the lawsuit is officially settled, the specific terms of the deal were not publicized, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported. Fitzgerald did, however, release a statement to finally put the situation behind him.
“For the past two years, 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,” Fitzgerald said, via Thamel.
Fitzgerald filed his $130 million wrongful termination lawsuit in October 2023, just a few months after being fired. Although the legal situation has been officially resolved, the allegations continue to impact the Northwestern football program in 2025.
Northwestern football hazing allegations under Pat Fitzgerald
Rumors of hazing allegations initially surfaced in 2022, when anonymous players accused Fitzgerald of supporting sexual harassment and physical abuse done toward freshman players. The allegations stated that players would be punished for mistakes in practices or games by being forced to partake in a “running” session that involved being “dry-humped” by larger upper-classmen and forced to perform humiliating tasks nude.
The accusations stated that teammates would make a specific clapping motion in the direction of a player who made a mistake to notify the team that he would be a part of the next “running” session. The players claimed that Fitzgerald often made the clapping motion during games, suggesting to them that he was aware of what occurred in the locker room after practice.
The Northwestern football team suspended Fitzgerald at the beginning of the 2022 season amid an investigation and subsequently fired him at the end of the year. Fitzgerald's response, the wrongful termination lawsuit, alleged that he was never aware of the “running” sessions and sued the school for $130 million.
Former Northwestern football players did not form a united front, as many denied the allegations. However, those who initiated the claims supported them with photographic and video evidence, according to The Daily Northwestern.
Since his firing, Fitzgerald has continued coaching, albeit at a non-professional level. The 50-year-old became a parent volunteer at his son's high school, Loyola Academy, where his youngest is preparing for his junior year.
