Northwestern suspends Pat Fitzgerald for next two weeks
Northwestern has suspended head coach Pat Fitzgerald for the next two weeks after an investigation into hazing on the football team.
The suspension is more symbolic than anything else, as there’s not a lot of work for a college football coach to do at this time of year anyway. Northwestern’s preseason practices don’t start up until August.
Still, it’s a potentially relevant story to the NFL because Fitzgerald has been mentioned as a possible candidate to leave for a pro job, and the suspension could change his relationship with his current employer, where he was an All-American linebacker before he was a coach.
“Northwestern football prides itself on producing not just athletes, but fine young men with character befitting the program and our University,” Fitzgerald said in a statement. “We hold our student-athletes and our program to the highest standards; we will continue to work to exceed those standards moving forward.”
Northwestern President Michael Schill said in a statement, “Hazing in any form is unacceptable and goes against our core values at Northwestern, where we strive to make the University a safe and welcoming environment for all of our students.”
The 48-year-old Fitzgerald has been head coach at Northwestern since 2006.
Source: NBC Sports
