Former Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald reached a settlement with the University in a wrongful termination lawsuit, ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported Thursday.
In July 2023, Fitzgerald was initially suspended without pay after an outside investigation found evidence of hazing. He was then dismissed after a Daily report detailed the allegations of that hazing which had not been previously reported by the school.
He sued the University for $130 million in October 2023 after his firing.
“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 in a statement Thursday.
In his statement, Fitzgerald said that the litigation since his firing revealed that hazing had taken place and that he was “extremely disappointed that members of the team engaged in this behavior and that no one reported it” to him.
In lawsuits first filed during the summer of 2023, players claimed they were subjected to racial discrimination, hazing, physical abuse and retaliation.
The University reached settlements with the remaining student plaintiffs who alleged personal injury and other defendants related to the hazing scandal this spring. Prior to Fitzgerald’s Thursday settlement, the case was scheduled to go to trial in November.
According to a statement released by NU, neither party will be disclosing the specific terms of the settlement.
“Northwestern wishes coach Fitzgerald the best in resuming his football career,” the statement said.
Correction: An original version of this story stated that Fitzgerald had settled for $130 million. Neither party has disclosed the specifics of the settlement.
This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.
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