Received this letter this morning
written by a parent of NU football player
wow!!
Rewatch the RAW footage touchdown of Northwestern Football’s victory over Minnesota. These men are not letting go of their love and loss of Coach Pat Fitzgerald and they want the world to know about it. Their truth is being edited out of the picture, distorted, and swept under the rug. “Our children continue to represent the University with a sense of pride even though they have been left as collateral damage by the same University. As if the President and AD haven’t done enough to damage our son and his teammate’s credibility, self-esteem, and spirit, they now have the locker room monitored every 15 minutes by a private company that is not a University employee. This is a gross violation of their privacy. It is disturbing. In return, the President and AD, acting under the direction of the Board of Trustees, have all but killed Coach Fitzgerald and my son’s infectious spirit. We had lunch with our son last Sunday after the Duke game on campus and I told my wife the infectious spirit in his eyes was not there. She agreed. It all made sense once we found out the locker room monitoring started the Monday before that game. That was the final straw and we saw it in his eyes.” Despite the weight of the allegations, the sudden and unexplained loss of Fitzgerald, threats to cancel their season, and personal attacks against players’ and coaches’ freedom of expression, they are putting cleats on everyday. And they won against all odds last weekend. They won against their opponent as well as the NU administration. The hand signaling at the end of video was a purposeful team communication out to Fitzgerald to let the world know that this win was for him, the leader who recruited them and their families to Northwestern. The players’ resilience continues to be fueled from the character driven lessons instilled by Fitzgerald. Last week was a testimony of how they continue to fight against the allegations and show their love and respect for Coach Fitz and Interim Coach Braun. These men have a collective story and a truth that has never been told. Their innocence has never been presumed; Instead, their guilt assumed by a hungry social media mob fueled by under-supervised Medill student writers, and crowned by Northwestern Leadership’s cowardice for due process. Do not underestimate or misinterpret the silence of these men and their families who stand on the shoulders of the hundreds of players and families before them. They will not be intimidated by the weaponization of the allegations. “Northwestern Leadership’s lack of seeking truth before making consequential decisions may impact countless student athletes as they seek career opportunities once they graduate. As parents, we will be evaluating our legal options soon after the season ends.” As history proves time and time again, “Lies have speed, and truth has endurance.” In the meantime, financial support has faded, tickets sales and attendance are down due to the silent protest of alumni and donors who are in disagreement with the sudden firing of Fitzgerald. More disturbingly, “lawyers are recruiting athletes with promises of big payouts.” How much responsibility does President Michael Schill, the Chairman of the Trustees Peter Barris, and Vice President of Athletics Derrick Gragg have for the position that Northwestern University is in right now? Every single tear drop
northwestern.rivals.com
