Why is Northwestern University firing Pat Fitzgerald? Timeline of events that led to Football HC’s exit

The Northwestern University announced on Monday that Pat Fitzgerald was fired, bringing an end to a head coach tenure that started in 2006 and brought a period of success to the university, bringing five Bowl Season wins and nine overall winning seasons.

Fitzgerald's tenure came under fire in recent weeks after a former player made allegations on November 2022 that the head coach was aware of hazing, including assaults, by varsity players, and did nothing to contain the issue.

An independent investigation led by law firm Arent Fox Schiff affirmed that "the complainant’s claims were largely supported by evidence gathered during the investigation, including separate and consistent first-person accounts". The head coach was initially suspended for two weeks, but new evidence made his job unsustainable.

Pat Fitzgerald fired: New evidence leads to head coach's dismissal

It looked like two weeks was a small punishment for Fitzgerald regarding the alleged behavior by one of his former players, but his position also looked unsustainable since the weekend, when University of Northwestern president Michael Schill said that he wasn't happy with early punishment handed to the head coach:

"The coach is not only responsible for what happens within the program but also must take great care to uphold our institutional commitment to the student experience and our priority to ensure all students — undergraduate and graduate — can thrive,” Schill wrote in the statement. “Clearly, he failed to uphold that commitment, and I failed to sufficiently consider that failure in levying a sanction.

A story ran by Daily Northwestern highlighted some of the issues running on the football team that Fitzgerald was allegedly aware of - or, if he wasn't, he should've know about it as the head coach:

"In a once-a-year tradition dubbed “the carwash,” the first player said that some players would stand naked at the entrance to the showers and spin around, forcing those entering the showers to “basically (rub) up against a bare-naked man.” Upon entering the showers, the player alleged that players set up a hose they connected to the shower to spray people."

“It’s extremely painful,” the player said.

He led the team to a 110-101 record during his tenure as the head coach.