Former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald stands with the Wildcats team before a game in 2022.

Northwestern fired former head football coach Pat Fitzgerald in July 2023 amid allegations involving hazing and assault that occurred among players on the roster. After more than two years of investigating the case, Northwestern has released a statement regarding Fitzgerald.

Reported by ESPN's Pete Thamel, Northwestern stated, "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."

This is a stark contrast from the university's initial actions, where they fired Fitzgerald as the allegations were coming to light. Amid the firing, Pat Fitzgerald took the university to court, suing them for $130 million in a wrongful termination lawsuit. Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported that Fitzgerald and Northwestern have settled.

“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 said in a statement regarding the situation.

Pat Fitzgerald played at Northwestern from 1993 to 1996 as a linebacker and was a standout for the Wildcats. He won two Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year awards, was a two-time consensus All-American, and was eventually inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

As a head coach at Northwestern from 2006 to 2022, he turned the program around, amassing a 110-101 overall record. Fitzgerald pulled Northwestern from the cellar and led them to 10 postseason bowl games.

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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Northwestern football issues statement about lawsuit with former coach Pat Fitzgerald

Reporting by Riley Donald, College Sports Wire / College Sports Wire

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