(CNN) — Northwestern University has suspended head football coach Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay following an investigation into allegations of hazing within the Wildcats’ program, the school announced Friday.
The independent investigation, conducted by a former Illinois inspector general, began in December to review a complaint from an anonymous email address received at the end of the 2022 season, according to an executive summary of the investigation made public by the university.
The investigation determined that Fitzgerald and other coaching staff members did not know about the hazing, but “there had been opportunities for them to discover and report the hazing conduct,” the university said in a news release.
“While current and former players varied on their perspectives about the conduct, the whistleblower’s claims were largely supported by the evidence,” the university said.
On Saturday, the school’s student newspaper, the Daily Northwestern, published an interview with a former football player who detailed the alleged hazing in more depth.
“It’s done under this smoke and mirror of ‘oh, this is team bonding,’ but no, this is sexual abuse,” the player told the Daily Northwestern. Read the full story.
Later on Saturday, Northwestern University President Michael Schill released a statement saying limiting the response to the initial two week suspension will be reconsidered.
“Clearly, he failed to uphold that commitment, and I failed to sufficiently consider...
A video of a helicopter on fire and falling to the ground has been shared on social media with claims it shows a US Black Hawk helicopter hit by Iran. But this isn’t true. The clip actually dates b...