Statement from President Schill

[mshelton33]

Update on Hazing Investigation: Leadership Notes - Northwestern University

Northwestern University is an extraordinary university with an exceptional athletics program. I am committed to ensuring that the misconduct that occurred in our football program never happens again anywhere in our university community.

www.northwestern.edu

 

[peatymeanis]

Translation: I want to punish Fitz more but I need permission from Pat Ryan first

 

[gocatsgo2003]

Update on Hazing Investigation: Leadership Notes - Northwestern University

Northwestern University is an extraordinary university with an exceptional athletics program. I am committed to ensuring that the misconduct that occurred in our football program never happens again anywhere in our university community.

www.northwestern.edu

So, basically, “I’m reconsidering my punishment based on public backlash.” That’s pretty dicey territory, Fitz could well come out swinging legally.

Only gonna get messier.

 

[PURPLE Book Cat]

I’m afraid that Fitz is not going to survive this.

Ultimately, the football team may not survive this. At a minimum, this is a deep, deep hole for it to dig itself from.

 

[Alvious]

Schill's not exactly covering himself in glory with how he's handling this.

 

[phatcat]

Weird. I emailed Schill an hour ago and said he needed to fire Fitz. No lie.

 

[WestCoastWildcat]

Wow. There must be huge backlash going on both publicly and behind the scenes by donors, alums and faculty. The program is in dire straights now. All of this comes with the backdrop of planning and raising money for a new stadium. I’m a little surprised that the administration is floundering so badly with all
of the time they’ve had to plan for a response
to the investigation. Maybe some of the initial inert response is because of the uncertainty in the transition of leadership the last few years. While I think it is a positive that leadership has recognized their initial response to the investigation was insufficient, the backtracking looks bad as well. What a disaster in so many ways. I think a first step is to open up the findings of the investigation while protecting the privacy of victims. So depressing.

 

[ashley0623]

Reading that letter, I’d be shocked if Schill doesn’t fire Fitz, regardless of all the players coming out in support. He knows his butt is on the line without a tougher punishment.

 

[gocatsgo2003]

Reading that letter, I’d be shocked if Schill doesn’t fire Fitz, regardless of all the players coming out in support. He knows his butt is on the line without a tougher punishment.

That’s gonna be a REAL tough needle to thread. Fitz has a contract and lawyers as well.

 

[Sheffielder]

Wow. There must be huge backlash going on both publicly and behind the scenes by donors, alums and faculty. The program is in dire straights now. All of this comes with the backdrop of planning and raising money for a new stadium. I’m a little surprised that the administration is floundering so badly with all
of the time they’ve had to plan for a response
to the investigation. Maybe some of the initial inert response is because of the uncertainty in the transition of leadership the last few years. While I think it is a positive that leadership has recognized their initial response to the investigation was insufficient, the backtracking looks bad as well. What a disaster in so many ways. I think a first step is to open up the findings of the investigation while protecting the privacy of victims. So depressing.

I find myself wondering if/how this would all go differently with Morty/Phillips in charge, and if that would be better or worse than Gragg the runner-up AD and Schill who got here, what, five minutes ago?

 

[CatManTrue]

So, basically, “I’m reconsidering my punishment based on public backlash.” That’s pretty dicey territory, Fitz could well come out swinging legally.

Only gonna get messier.

Not really. If they fire Fitz for cause/a morality clause/whatever, they’d try to get out of paying the buyout.

If Fitz is fired and paid in full per his contract, then there’s not much he can do.

So, basically, this would turn into a distracting legal battle on the side. But not nearly as sad or damaging as the Rashidi Wheeler situation.

 

[WestCoastWildcat]

Found this op-ed piece from USAToday.

Pat Fitzgerald failed to protect players. New hazing allegations 100% his responsibility

Pat Fitzgerald was suspended for two weeks after a vague investigation, but the school’s student newspaper found a sickening amount more.

www.usatoday.com

 

[NU Houston]

What a joke. Who's in charge here? Fantastic leadership, Mr. President.

 

[zeek55]

Wrote this before Schill's statement came to light: "I'll say this, the University leadership (saying this generally due to little idea of who made the calls here whether Schill or Gragg but I suspect Schill had to make the call on this) is completely boneheaded if they thought that this type of thing would go away quietly with a 2 week suspension."

(And wrote about how it's bizarre that they didn't think that NU's journalism students, the best in the country, wouldn't find the sources and put the story out in the public through the Daily).

So yeah, now I'd assume lots of angry alums/donors/students/families are contacting the admin because the punishment seemed bizarrely tonedeaf given the seriousness of the allegations (especially those that detailed sexual abuse).

Having said all that, I would be surprised if Fitz is fired. Yes, he *should* have known, but it appears that there is no proof that he did and a general belief that he did not.

I think he gets a multi-game suspension. This assumes there are no other shoes to drop. If more comes out and the details get worse, it will get very difficult to survive this.

 

[phatcat]

Wrote this before Schill's statement came to light: "I'll say this, the University leadership (saying this generally due to little idea of who made the calls here whether Schill or Gragg but I suspect Schill had to make the call on this) is completely boneheaded if they thought that this type of thing would go away quietly with a 2 week suspension."

(And wrote about how it's bizarre that they didn't think that NU's journalism students, the best in the country, wouldn't find the sources and put the story out in the public through the Daily).

So yeah, now I'd assume lots of angry alums/donors/students/families are contacting the admin because the punishment seemed bizarrely tonedeaf given the seriousness of the allegations (especially those that detailed sexual abuse).

Having said all that, I would be surprised if Fitz is fired. Yes, he *should* have known, but it appears that there is no proof that he did and a general belief that he did not.

I think he gets a multi-game suspension. This assumes there are no other shoes to drop. If more comes out and the details get worse, it will get very difficult to survive this.

"Should have known" carries financial and criminal penalties in sexual harassment cases

 

[zeek55]

"Should have known" carries financial and criminal penalties in sexual harassment cases

Caveat that none of us know what will happen next, but I'd assume significant "quiet" settlements between the University and the players that alleged this sexual abuse.

I'm skeptical that it goes beyond that if only because these types of incidents are very difficult to reach any sort of criminal stages without hard proof or a very specific target like Sandusky at Penn State; prosecutors don't get involved unless there's some big mountain of physical/tangible evidence targeting (a) specific individual(s) over behaviors alleged over a significant length of time, and so far all we have right now are allegations that some older players were involved in sexual harassment/abuse of younger players, the alleged hazing.

Nobody has alleged that Fitz knew and ignored these happenings - which would be a far worse situation than the current allegations for both him and the University and that would be the point at which you would see actual legal liability.

The details so far do not lead me to believe that Fitz is in that kind of situation, but obviously the punishment from the University will be more steep now that they have become public with the ensuing backlash.

I still do not see a cause for firing Fitz here.

 

[PURPLE Book Cat]

I find myself wondering if/how this would all go differently with Morty/Phillips in charge, and if that would be better or worse than Gragg the runner-up AD and Schill who got here, what, five minutes ago?

COMPLETELY different