The former player said Sunday that Schill was "extremely receptive" to his accounts of hazing within the program and offered him resources to deal with the trauma.
A current Northwestern player, who asked to remain anonymous, also told ESPN on Sunday that the former player, whose hazing allegations late in 2022 launched the investigation, informed him of a detailed plan with the sole objective to take down Fitzgerald. The current player on Sunday relayed a conversation he said he had early this year with the former player to Northwestern trustees and other influential university figures.
"He just kept emphasizing, 'Yeah, it'll be OK, I'm just trying to get Coach Fitz fired,'" the current player told ESPN. "I don't think he ever acknowledged what he's saying is not true. It was just like, 'I might embellish or exaggerate to get Coach Fitz fired.' He said his sole goal was to see Coach Fitz rot in jail.
"The truth is none of that stuff happened in our locker room."
The current player said the former player told him he would go public with detailed allegations if the university's investigation did not result in Fitzgerald's dismissal and referenced the 2021 situation involving athletic director Mike Polisky, who stepped down amid media and public pressure nine days after being promoted. Polisky had been named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by a former Northwestern cheerleader.
"He was thinking he could do the same with Coach Fitz, if he went to The Daily Northwestern and went public with it," the current player said.
Told of the current player's account, the former player said he wanted to "absolutely seek action to get Fitz out of the program," but had other objectives.
"I want to shed light on this heinous, illegal behavior," the former player said. "I wanted illegal behavior out of the program. This is an absolutely barbaric and egregious culture that ultimately lies on the shoulders of the head coach."
The former player told ESPN that hazing was organized and widespread in Northwestern's program, often led by a group of older players called the "Shrek gang."
A current Northwestern player, who asked to remain anonymous, also told ESPN on Sunday that the former player, whose hazing allegations late in 2022 launched the investigation, informed him of a detailed plan with the sole objective to take down Fitzgerald. The current player on Sunday relayed a conversation he said he had early this year with the former player to Northwestern trustees and other influential university figures.
"He just kept emphasizing, 'Yeah, it'll be OK, I'm just trying to get Coach Fitz fired,'" the current player told ESPN. "I don't think he ever acknowledged what he's saying is not true. It was just like, 'I might embellish or exaggerate to get Coach Fitz fired.' He said his sole goal was to see Coach Fitz rot in jail.
"The truth is none of that stuff happened in our locker room."
The current player said the former player told him he would go public with detailed allegations if the university's investigation did not result in Fitzgerald's dismissal and referenced the 2021 situation involving athletic director Mike Polisky, who stepped down amid media and public pressure nine days after being promoted. Polisky had been named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by a former Northwestern cheerleader.
"He was thinking he could do the same with Coach Fitz, if he went to The Daily Northwestern and went public with it," the current player said.
Told of the current player's account, the former player said he wanted to "absolutely seek action to get Fitz out of the program," but had other objectives.
"I want to shed light on this heinous, illegal behavior," the former player said. "I wanted illegal behavior out of the program. This is an absolutely barbaric and egregious culture that ultimately lies on the shoulders of the head coach."
The former player told ESPN that hazing was organized and widespread in Northwestern's program, often led by a group of older players called the "Shrek gang."
Ex-player calls for Fitzgerald ouster after inquiry
A former Northwestern football player on Sunday detailed his hazing allegations that sparked a university-commissioned investigation and said Pat Fitzgerald should no longer be the coach of the program.
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