It just keeps getting worse

[Sheffielder]

You go to print with a story like this with the accuser’s account and another player from several years back who relays a similar hazing experience? No vetting of the source to understand if he has an underlying agenda that may be skewing his account? No attempts to speak with a handful of the accuser’s current teammates to corroborate his account? Come on! That was shoddy, gossip column journalism and I use the term “journalism” loosely. There is no way they had properly investigated and corroborated the story in one day. This was all about being first, and much less about getting it right. Woodward and Bernstein they are not.

I think people are making a lot of convenient editorial decisions about what the parties in question did and did not know, and when (and yes, I will include myself in the batch of culprits).

For example...I will assume that CR told pretty similar versions of his story to the investigators and to the Daily, which lead both parties to agree that "hazing appears to have happened within the Northwestern football program." So now you have THREE corroborating sources - two players and a public statement from the university that was released that Friday.

And since then, multiple players and personnel from different eras have come forward corroborating what could be reasonably considered hazing "traditions" that crossed five-year stretches...and pretty much (depending on how you count Demos' statement) zero players who will publicly state, "I was never hazed, I never hazed, and I never witnessed hazing."

But also...no shortage of players praising Fitz and his positive influence on their lives...which most certainly does count for something. I believe for the most part we're better than he worst things we've ever done, and Fitz has done far more good than the bad in his run as head coach. But if you didn't know you could be fired if hazing was discovered to be happening on your watch as the head coach...I don't know what to tell you.

Again...I don't personally consider the Daily or CR heroes in any way, but their actions have resulted in revelations about a program that has some systemic problems hidden behind a good name and an otherwise squeaky-clean brand. I am miserable and disgusted by where we find ourselves, but I don't wish it stayed hidden, and I'm not hung up on how it all got out.

 

[FeralFelidae]

We know the locker room photo was in the investigation. We know the Shrek Clap was in the investigation.

We do?

 

[corbi296]

I think people are making a lot of convenient editorial decisions about what the parties in question did and did not know, and when (and yes, I will include myself in the batch of culprits).

For example...I will assume that CR told pretty similar versions of his story to the investigators and to the Daily, which lead both parties to agree that "hazing appears to have happened within the Northwestern football program." So now you have THREE corroborating sources - two players and a public statement from the university that was released that Friday.

And since then, multiple players and personnel from different eras have come forward corroborating what could be reasonably considered hazing "traditions" that crossed five-year stretches...and pretty much (depending on how you count Demos' statement) zero players who will publicly state, "I was never hazed, I never hazed, and I never witnessed hazing."

But also...no shortage of players praising Fitz and his positive influence on their lives...which most certainly does count for something. I believe for the most part we're better than he worst things we've ever done, and Fitz has done far more good than the bad in his run as head coach. But if you didn't know you could be fired if hazing was discovered to be happening on your watch as the head coach...I don't know what to tell you.

Again...I don't personally consider the Daily or CR heroes in any way, but their actions have resulted in revelations about a program that has some systemic problems hidden behind a good name and an otherwise squeaky-clean brand. I am miserable and disgusted by where we find ourselves, but I don't wish it stayed hidden, and I'm not hung up on how it all got out.

Unless they had access to the full report or the investigator, there was no way for them to know if Richardson’s account to them was consistent with the hazing the report found to be credible so strike that one right off your list. I know for a fact that the other accuser was a little known walk on player from several years back whose time at NU did not overlap with Richardson so his account couldn’t reasonably be viewed as corroboration of Richardson’s account. Which leaves us with Richardson whose questionable motives could have been identified with even a modest amount of investigation/discussion with current teammates. That leaves The Daily with pretty much zilch at the time they ran the story. The fact that subsequent players have come forward does not in any way validate their decision to print the story when they did. It was irresponsible conduct on their part, certainly nothing worthy of the praise the one board member lavished them with.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Has anyone affiliated with Northwestern football ever said, “There was no hazing at Northwestern?”

Surely that isn't the standard.

 

[its_the_sauce]

The thing is Rocky Wirtz is on the board. He of all people should have known how best to handle a scandal like this considering he had experience with the Kyle Beach incident.

Oh wait, never mind....

Wow, quoting myself here.

We now have an opening on the board. WGN just broke news that Rocky died.

Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz dies at 70

The chairman and principal owner of the Blackhawks had been in that position since 2007.

wgntv.com

 

[WaveJumper]

They are embarrassments whose failures of leadership and communication are, at this point, much bigger threats to NU as an institution than the original allegations and the decision to terminate Fitz.

No doubt.

Their threat to NU will soon be quantified by both plaintiffs, and an employee who can claim breech of contract. Their current compensation package will pale to insignificance compared to the long term cost. A colossal fail in leadership and decision making. If you want to keep two people on staff who have just been responsible for a total cost in the millions, your decision making skillset is basically equal to theirs.

 

[IGNORE2]

At the beginning of this mess, Fitz got suspended.
The next day the Daily Northwestern ran what seemed to me to be a dangerous set of accusations that it had no time to corroborate.
Then there was a big show of outrage.
One day later Schill said he needed to reconsider.
Immediately some female member of the Board of Trustees put out a public congratulations to the school newspaper for running the allegations as quickly as possible.
If you are on the Board of Trustees, this just reeks of bias. You cannot do that. It is totally unethical. And yet this unethical person still sits on the board.
Alarms started going off in my head that Schill was going to fire Fitzgerald.

I now believe that one or more member of the Board of Trustees told the Daily Northwestern what Richardson's allegations were - or did whatever it could to swiftly get those allegations published - in a blatant breach of responsibility to the university.

I would put big money that CR had a deal w a Twitter at the Daily. If outcome didn’t lead to PF firing then they could run a story prepared, researched, written well in advance. No way that was produced in 24 hours. During summer break.

 

[NUCat320]

We do?

Schill specifically commented on the Shrek Clap in the interview linked here.

I *believe* that Rittenberg had the initial whistleblower email and reported the locker room photo was included, but that was weeks ago and I don’t care to dig further.

But Schill may have read the term ‘Shrek clap’ before the suspension came out. (Again, he spent Sunday reading and rereading the report, so it’s possible he did not read it before announcing the suspension. Which is amazing and I love it. Cuz he’s a doof.)

 

[ricko654321]

I would put big money that CR had a deal w a Twitter at the Daily. If outcome didn’t lead to PF firing then they could run a story prepared, researched, written well in advance. No way that was produced in 24 hours. During summer break.

I mean dude, probably but who cares if he did. this is kind of a silly hot take - good luck that maybe you will get someone to take the other side of your "big money" bet on a message board. must sound pretty cool in your head to write that. i don't doubt that he had engaged with the daily in advance but think it's largely irrelevant to how the whole situation progressed. and more importantly to identifying what is actually the truth. feel like this is missing the point (or all of the points) of the whole situation.

 

[hdhntr1]

Closer

No doubt.

Their threat to NU will soon be quantified by both plaintiffs, and an employee who can claim breech of contract. Their current compensation package will pale to insignificance compared to the long term cost. A colossal fail in leadership and decision making. If you want to keep two people on staff who have just been responsible for a total cost in the millions, your decision making skillset is basically equal to theirs.

Closer to $ billions

 

[Catreporter]

No question some questionable stuff went on, but it seems more like a rush to judgment by Schill. I'm still waiting for all these aggrieved players the lawyers keep referencing to come forward. So far, it just seems like the same couple of guys, marginal players all, trying to keep it in the news.

 

[hdhntr1]

I mean dude, probably but who cares if he did. this is kind of a silly hot take - good luck that maybe you will get someone to take the other side of your "big money" bet on a message board. must sound pretty cool in your head to write that. i don't doubt that he had engaged with the daily in advance but think it's largely irrelevant to how the whole situation progressed. and more importantly to identifying what is actually the truth. feel like this is missing the point (or all of the points) of the whole situation.

It still makes a difference. One way it is orchestrated and prepared and the other just an immediate reaction

 

[IGNORE2]

I mean dude, probably but who cares if he did. this is kind of a silly hot take - good luck that maybe you will get someone to take the other side of your "big money" bet on a message board. must sound pretty cool in your head to write that. i don't doubt that he had engaged with the daily in advance but think it's largely irrelevant to how the whole situation progressed. and more importantly to identifying what is actually the truth. feel like this is missing the point (or all of the points) of the whole situation.

Wow - interesting hill to start a fight. I’m simply refuting those that have aggressively stated they feel that the Daily rushed the story irresponsibly. But keep toeing the PKK line - if it gets too hard, you can find friends and empathy on the Ped State board.

 

[IGNORE2]

No question some questionable stuff went on, but it seems more like a rush to judgment by Schill. I'm still waiting for all these aggrieved players the lawyers keep referencing to come forward. So far, it just seems like the same couple of guys, marginal players all, trying to keep it in the news.

Warren Long. How many non-marginalized will it take for you? Should we simply say X+1 as those goal posts will move as revelations keep coming?

 

[ashley0623]

Wow, quoting myself here.

We now have an opening on the board. WGN just broke news that Rocky died.

Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz dies at 70

The chairman and principal owner of the Blackhawks had been in that position since 2007.

wgntv.com

I wonder if Rocky was ill the past few weeks and had no involvement with the process at the NU BOT. NU was probably far off his radar with his far more important health issues to deal with.