Northwestern faces huge setback after fans cancel $800 season tickets post Pat Fitzgerald dismissal

Former Northwestern Wildcats Pat Fitzgerald has been let go by the university, but not everyone is happy with the decision. One story going around is a couple of alums canceling their season tickets and wanting a refund in protest of the school's decision.

Jim Nugent and Vicki Olivera Nugent made the decision to cancel their season tickets worth $800 for Northwestern football this year. They have been season ticket holders for several seasons but were not happy with the decision to fire Fitzgerald.

"We simply believe the president of the university caved into political correctness and wrongly fired a distinguished leader on the Northwestern campus without cause." h/t QC Times

They were told by the ticket office that a lot of people are doing the same thing, so it could be a bit of a delay on their refund.

It's extremely difficult to navigate here, as people on both sides are not happy with the school. One portion of fans are unhappy that such an allegation is happening, while the other reckons Pat Fitzgerald should not have been relieved from his duties in the first place.

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Why did Pat Fitzgerald get fired by Northwestern?

Pat Fitzgerald was hired by his alma mater Northwestern in 2001. He quickly climbed the coaching ranks, and by 2006, he was the head coach of the program. He did well, going 110-101 and made his way to the College Football Hall of Fame.

However, it was discovered through an independent investigation that there was a hazing scandal going on in the football program. There were allegations that Fitzgerald would make a hand gesture that told the team a freshman player should be physically and sexually assaulted for not playing well.

As a result, Northwestern suspended Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay on Jul. 7, 2023. Then more stories from anonymous former players came out as well.

A report of former Wildcats player Ramon Diaz Jr. Either Northwestern decided that was the final straw, as players were feeling unwelcomed or the media pressure got too much that they eventually decided to fire Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald is now looking to claim the remaining $42 million on his contract, as he believes he was fired without reason. This has certainly divided fans into thinking that he did not know about the hazing allegations while others view that as a sign of him trying to repair his broken public image.

Do you believe Northwestern had reason for firing Pat Fitzgerald?