My column: Explosive hazing allegations call Fitz, NU administration into question
- Thread starter lou v
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Yeah and he tweeted calling the Daily story a "hit piece" which is quite a position for an active member of the coaching staff to publicly stake out.
Have you ever considered that it could be just that?
Yes, and it obviously isn't, especially now that we have multiple former staffers confirming its validity.
Confirming the validity of what? I am not disputing that something inappropriate happened here. What I am uncertain of is what exactly happened, whether it was systemic or isolated and whether the coaching staff turned a blind eye to it or even encouraged it as has been suggested. I need to hear and see the evidence before passing full judgement. An unpublished picture of some white board provided by the accuser without any further corroborated context is not going to cut it for me and it shouldn't for any NU fan who knows how many players lives Fitz has positively impacted through the years.
We've got the whistleblower providing what they claim is photographic evidence and we have journalists like Lou getting confirmation of the "running" and the "car washes" from multiple former staffers. Regardless of what you need to see and hear, it's beyond clear that the Daily story was worth running and not just a hit piece.
Like I said, let's see the photographic evidence. The way it has been described so far leaves a lot to be desired. Not publicly released and described as a "photo of a white board that the accuser says was in the NU locker room". Sorry but I am going to need a lot more than that to find this whiteboard part of this credible.
Also, don't be surprised if more info about the accuser comes out in the next couple of days. If past incidents are any indication, It's not going to be too hard to figure out who this is and at that point we may have a better sense for motivation/credibility issues.
I'll cite the recent Matt Araiza incident as a cautionary tale. A college punter from San Diego State drafted by the Bills who was cut after the Bills/NFL conducted what they described as a thorough investigation into the allegations by a then 17 year old girl who said Araiza and two other teammates raped her at a college party. The kid's career and reputation were probably irreparably ruined after it was determined that he was not even in at the party at the time the alleged rape took place. If an investigation conducted by the NFL got it wrong, I am not going to take the findings of the NU newspaper as gospel.
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You should too, especially considering you don't find the letter released by the team as something that was credibly signed by every player on the team (I agree by the way). Your evidentiary standards should apply both ways if you are a truly impartial observer to this situation.
The report will be released eventually (I think sooner than later). Names will be redacted but there should be specific dates, locations, and people involved (redacted). If there was a white board, it would be in the report. All of it will come out eventually.
How does it feel? This incident has finally enabled you to come out of the closet. Is it liberating for you to show your Fitz hatred out in the open for everyone to see?
Well, they are using architectural firms and so-called experts to publish incomplete and misleading information about about the sound and parking logistics of the new, proposed stadium and concerts. Don’t be naive. You run an investigation as part of a crisis management plan.
How does this feel? It feels terrible. I bleed purple and personally like Fitz. In another thread, I described this as a nightmare.
Going 0-12 wouldn’t feel as bad as this.
But there are consequences for our actions, or lack thereof. Depending on what happens, this could spell the end of Fitz’s tenure.
You are a delusional person, so I’m not surprised that you subscribe to conspiracy theories.
Schill is a joke. He is a very weak, very new president who was only hired after the original selection fell gravely ill. Clearly he is being swayed by public opinion. Fitz has lots of defenders, including the university’s largest donor, Pat Ryan. If Morty was still president, Fitz would be gone.
I don’t hate Fitz. I like him and loved the success he’s brought to the field until the last couple years. I bleed purple and wish him nothing but the best, but this type of sexual hazing crosses a line that should be unacceptable at any school, but especially NU. He’s done amazing work given NU’s unique challenges with recruiting, plus we’ve led D1 with academic all americas. That’s pretty impressive. Still, this lack of institutional control is unacceptable and he needs to be gone.
No. They were brave enough to step forward and expose this wretched practice. They don’t need to be publicly abused by a bunch of old message boarders for doing the right thing.
Probably the Daily Northwestern reporting an exaggerated or distorted story as the straight truth. Seen that done before by them.
Has this been taken down for some reason such as updated information mooting the original premise? In any event it won't load for me.
Explosive hazing allegations call Fitz, NU administration into question
A detailed report of hazing allegations could mean the end of head coach Pat Fitzgerald's tenure.northwestern.rivals.com
Wouldn’t it stand to reason if you endured this humiliation as a freshman that you would leave the program. I know if I had I would leave. The timing would take some thought. I don’t know how many true freshmen left during the year. However the transfer portal indicates two in the past couple of years. I can’t say they were or were not affected or whether even knowledge of this provided them with reason to leave.
Has this been verified? I assume all current players are willing to go on the record and say that they signed (or electronically signed) this letter.
Well, it's endorsed by the NU Football Leadership council.
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