I’ll take it - what would you like to wager? And how do we handle non public settlements?
MacPherson out
- Thread starter zeek55
- Start date
I’ll do a board handle bet. We will use as reputable as possible published sources to try and determine it (not sure how public settlements will be). Aggregate dollar amount paid out in Fitz lawsuit > aggregate amount paid to football players in hazing lawsuits is my position.
To be technically correct, you can only make claims like "Just one person has denied the alleged behavior occurred."
Hazing is a legal term, the definition of which looms large in upcoming litigation.
My assumption is that the vast majority knew about it and truly believed it was nothing.
If it was so rampant and a huge problem, why was Fiitz the only one fired? Why is McCargile being promoted? Either this was a serious problem that went on for years (in which case they should clean house) or it wasn’t. Just stop already saying you know what happened. You don’t.
This is a problem for the anti-Fitz crew (logically).
Its a bigger problem for NU in the lawsuit.
NU will have to prove that Fitzgerald was ordering the punishments.
Same reason Harbaugh was the only one suspended by the conference - he was the guy in charge (so didn't matter whether was aware or not).
Fitz played a large role in what eventually happened when he thought a couple of weeks of suspension during the off-season would be enough punishment for hazing which included allegations of sexual abuse.
That just further shows how out of step Fitz ended up being, but that's not surprising considering how much power he had (as evidenced by language in his contract continually being amended in his favor).
Schill deserves blame as well, but one can somewhat understand him going along with the light punishment as he was still adapting to his new position and didn't have the long-standing relationship with the Board (much less with Ryan) like Fitz.
Fitz played a large role in what eventually happened when he thought a couple of weeks of suspension during the off-season would be enough punishment for hazing which included allegations of sexual abuse.
That just further shows how out of step Fitz ended up being, but that's not surprising considering how much power he had (as evidenced by language in his contract continually being amended in his favor).
Schill deserves blame as well, but one can somewhat understand him going along with the light punishment as he was still adapting to his new position and didn't have the long-standing relationship with the Board (much less with Ryan) like Fitz.
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You are comparing apples and oranges. Michigan violated NCAA rules (allegedly). The hazing scandal violated the law (allegedly). Yet only Fitz is fired? No of them players who committed the alleged crimes is suspended or kicked out of school? It’s beyond absurd.
Wait… it was somehow Fitz’s fault that the initial punishment was a 2-week suspension after an internal investigation showed that he and the coaches had no knowledge of what was going on? He was supposed to say “no, that’s clearly wrong, you need to punish me more?”
I’ve seen a lot of bad takes with respect to the hazing situation, but that one takes the cake.
It is time to move past Fitz. Let him have his lawsuit but he is gone and we must look forward.
Incorrect. The report (supposedly) said they couldn't prove the coaches knew, then the nincompoops in charge decided to hide behind the two weeks. Then a bunch of other people came forward, some of whom had agendas, to claim that the coaches knew.
Also, like most employee/managers, the doctrine of "knew or should have known" likely applies.
I'm not a scientist, I was an economics major. There was probably illegal hazing. They probably knew.
1) Except that’s not what the report could prove.
2) Still would’ve made exactly zero sense for Fitz (who hasn’t been given the chance to review the investigation report, at least according to his lawsuit) to raise his hand and say “no, you need to punish me more.”
You're correct...
Violating the law (potentially), especially when it deals with abuse of a sexual nature (allegedly) is far worse than any potential NCAA violation.
Look at what happened to former PSU president Spanier and others.
Supposed ignorance is no defense in a situation like this (heck, it wasn't even a defense for a supposed sign stealing scandal - Harbaugh was suspended even tho there was no proof he knew of it because he was ultimately the one responsible for everything in his program).
You either have to be living under a rock or totally self-absorbed to think a 2 wk suspension would suffice in the eyes of the public when (alleged) sexual abuse is involved.
I would find it funny (if the allegations weren't so serious) that Fitz always talked about responsibility, the buck stopping with him (never-mind that the team was a family), etc., but when it came time for him to step up and be responsible - eh!
But then again, this is the same guy who loved to say that stats are for losers, but then turned around and repeatedly went for it on 4th down (with little regard for time/game situation) because that's what advanced stats told him.
Nevermind that he couldn't even field a team with an average O-line, so to think would have the same success rate as what the stats showed was asinine (Braun has been more judicious about going for it on 4th down).
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The law wasn’t violated. There was no sexual abuse. No criminal charges have been fired. No perpetrators have been named/accused.
You are all over the place on this one. Addrsssing the more mundane part first, there are very few people who did not believe Fitz lost a step (or several) as a HC. College football has changed dramatically over the past few years and it didn’t appear that Fitz adapted.
As for the hazing scandal, my point was that if this was so serious and wide spread as to warrant Fitz termination, how is it he is the only one punished? Is the school planning on taking any steps to punish the perpetrators of the alleged sexual hazing?
Another major red flag was that the school did not let Fitz see the final report. They could have easily given him a redacted report to protect the whistleblowers. The way this was handled by NU will be studied at business schools as how not to manage a crisis.
Finally, with regards to Harbaugh, he violated NCAA rules not once but twice. He was suspended half the season. But winning cures all because Michigan was ready to make him the highest paid coach in college.
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He went for it on 4th down because, despite being a Poindexter school, we couldn't recruit kickers
