Northwestern, former football coach Pat Fitzgerald settle lawsuit

Northwestern and former football coach Pat Fitzgerald have settled a lawsuit, which was filed by Fitzgerald after his dismissal from the school two years ago. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Fitzgerald sued the school for $130 million for wrongful termination after being fired in July 2023. His firing came amid allegations of hazing in the program, which president Michael Schill at the time called “widespread and clearly not a secret.”

Fitzgerald said in a statement Thursday: “For the past two years, I have engaged in a process of extensive fact and expert discovery, which showed what I have known and said all along — that I had no knowledge of hazing ever occurring in the Northwestern football program and that I never directed or encouraged hazing in any way.”

Fitzgerald acknowledged in the statement that there was hazing in the program but added that he’s “proud to say I ran a world-class football program” while at Northwestern.

“I am extremely disappointed that members of the team engaged in this behavior and that no one reported it to me,” he said, “so that I could have alerted Northwestern’s Athletic Department and administrators, stopped the inappropriate behavior, and taken every necessary step to protect Northwestern’s student athletes.”

In a statement released Thursday, Northwestern said Fitzgerald did not condone or direct any of the alleged hazing.

“While the litigation brought to light highly inappropriate conduct in the football program and the harm it caused, the evidence uncovered during extensive discovery did not establish that any player reported hazing to Coach Fitzgerald or that Coach Fitzgerald condoned or directed any hazing,” the statement read. “Moreover, when presented with the details of the conduct, he was incredibly upset and saddened by the negative impact this conduct had on players within the program.”

Schill is not allowed to comment on Thursday’s settlement because he was a named defendant in Fitzgerald’s lawsuit and did not participate in the settlement process.

Fitzgerald’s firing marked a significant moment for Northwestern athletics, as he had been one of the most transformative figures on the campus as both a player and coach.

Fitzgerald coached there 17 seasons and went 110-101 over that time, making him by far the best coach in school history. He’s also one of the best players in school history, as he starred at linebacker.

“It was a lengthy process, but we’re very, very satisfied with the terms of the settlement,” said Bryan Harlan of Excel Sports, who is Fitzgerald’s agent.

“We think the evidence is overwhelming that Northwestern had no basis whatsoever to terminate my client for cause,” Dan Webb, lead attorney for Fitzgerald, told ESPN. “That was the strength of our case.”

The case was set to go to trial in November. Fitzgerald’s dismissal came after a university investigation found hazing in the program but no knowledge that Fitzgerald knew of it. He was dismissed days after it was announced he was going to be suspended for two weeks.

“The rush to judgment in the media in July of 2023 and the reports that suggested I knew about and directed hazing are false and have caused me, my wife, and my three sons great stress, embarrassment, and reputational harm in the last two years,” Fitzgerald said. “Though I maintain Northwestern had no legal basis to terminate my employment for cause under the terms of my Employment Agreement, in the interest of resolving this matter and, in particular, to relieve my family from the stress of ongoing litigation, Northwestern and I have agreed to a settlement, and I am satisfied with the terms of the settlement.”

In May, the school settled the 34 remaining lawsuits by former football players tied to the hazing allegations.

“Northwestern’s number one priority is the health and safety of all members of its community, including our student athletes,” the school added in its statement Thursday. “The University has taken action to ensure hazing will not occur again, including new training and additional steps for feedback and reporting.”

Fitzgerald’s only formal football involvement the past two seasons came as a volunteer assistant coach at his sons’ high school in the Chicago area.

“With this behind him now, a settlement, with no evidence developed that he did anything wrong, I believe based on everything I’ve been told that he should have some significant opportunities to return to a major university or wherever he chooses to go,” Webb added. “One of the motivations on our part is to get [the settlement], so he could put it behind him and return to coaching, which is what I believe that he’s going to do. The fact that there’s no evidence that he knew about it, I don’t think there will be a barrier to him getting a great job in coaching.”

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg contributed to this story