The hazing at Northwestern reportedly dates back to the 1990s, and a new article from @TheAthletic includes this memorable quote from a former player: "It was weirdo fat guys on the team, doing weirdo fat guy shit." https://t.co/4o1Rm8U7gP

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 20, 2023

wifeisafurd said:

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a postscript on Northwestern. this is just one of a succession of scandals, some in the athletic department. They have a $800 million football field renovation occurring that was largely based on Fitz's popularity that now is in jeopardy according to news reports. They probably were going to struggle on the football field. The program was 1-8 in conference 3 of the last 4 years (the odd year was a successful 2020 short C-19 season) and took no Portal transfers during the last round primarily due to academic requirements. But things just got worse.


Arguably, the AD should have a lot of coaches under consideration if this investigation was really going on for 6 months, but since all this occurred while he was in Europe, you have to wonder. The DC is a good bet for interim coach, since he is relatively new and has no P5 coaching experience, but presumably is untouched by the scandal. The rest of it probably is a slipper slope. If I'm one of the older assistants I'm essentially in the same position as Fitz and I want to be moving on - quickly, though the AD said they would all be retained on an interim basis. Any player involved or witnessing hazing likely is getting his film tougher for a Portal transfer. NCAA rules allow Northwestern players to enter the transfer portal for 30 days after a head-coaching change. Northwestern has yet to have any players officially enter the portal, though sources in and around the program tell ESPN that most are considering the option. Movement will be quick with fall camps opening across the country in August.


Paul Chryst, Craig Petersen, David Shaw and Vandy's Greg Mason have all been mentioned as coaches who could quickly right the ship, but one has to wonder about their interest in taking over a such a damaged program that is in such a contentious situation, even if they understand the academic side of the equation. But they may not have the luxury of time with the present group of angry players. I also doesn't mean they will succeed unless NW changes its perspective on transfers and NIL. NW likely would have to pay top dollar to attract these coaches, though with the new B1G media contact there probably is money around.


The program will continual to struggle due to a one way Portal, and the fallout from Fitzgerald's dismissal and hazing scandal, and if you believe newspaper reports, a bias against NIL. There also is administrative unrest, as both AD Gragg and President Schill are receiving criticism on campus and elsewhere. There is a faculty group that opposes "big time" college sports (sound familiar?) and donors who are pissed off at the way the hazing scandal was handled. Gragg also is facing criticism for a baseball coach he hired that involves bullying. I can see the President throwing him under the bus to respond to criticism that Schill handled the football scandal badly, and again it didn't help that Gragg was on vacation when the football scandal broke loose. https://www.insidenu.com/2023/7/11/23790718/op-ed-derrick-gragg-needs-to-speak-to-the-northwestern-community-or-step-away-from-it-for-good

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Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, now Northwestern. Are we sure we WANT to be in the BIG?

Not that we don't have our own little controversy.

Rushinbear said:

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wifeisafurd said:

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a postscript on Northwestern. this is just one of a succession of scandals, some in the athletic department. They have a $800 million football field renovation occurring that was largely based on Fitz's popularity that now is in jeopardy according to news reports. They probably were going to struggle on the football field. The program was 1-8 in conference 3 of the last 4 years (the odd year was a successful 2020 short C-19 season) and took no Portal transfers during the last round primarily due to academic requirements. But things just got worse.


Arguably, the AD should have a lot of coaches under consideration if this investigation was really going on for 6 months, but since all this occurred while he was in Europe, you have to wonder. The DC is a good bet for interim coach, since he is relatively new and has no P5 coaching experience, but presumably is untouched by the scandal. The rest of it probably is a slipper slope. If I'm one of the older assistants I'm essentially in the same position as Fitz and I want to be moving on - quickly, though the AD said they would all be retained on an interim basis. Any player involved or witnessing hazing likely is getting his film tougher for a Portal transfer. NCAA rules allow Northwestern players to enter the transfer portal for 30 days after a head-coaching change. Northwestern has yet to have any players officially enter the portal, though sources in and around the program tell ESPN that most are considering the option. Movement will be quick with fall camps opening across the country in August.


Paul Chryst, Craig Petersen, David Shaw and Vandy's Greg Mason have all been mentioned as coaches who could quickly right the ship, but one has to wonder about their interest in taking over a such a damaged program that is in such a contentious situation, even if they understand the academic side of the equation. But they may not have the luxury of time with the present group of angry players. I also doesn't mean they will succeed unless NW changes its perspective on transfers and NIL. NW likely would have to pay top dollar to attract these coaches, though with the new B1G media contact there probably is money around.


The program will continual to struggle due to a one way Portal, and the fallout from Fitzgerald's dismissal and hazing scandal, and if you believe newspaper reports, a bias against NIL. There also is administrative unrest, as both AD Gragg and President Schill are receiving criticism on campus and elsewhere. There is a faculty group that opposes "big time" college sports (sound familiar?) and donors who are pissed off at the way the hazing scandal was handled. Gragg also is facing criticism for a baseball coach he hired that involves bullying. I can see the President throwing him under the bus to respond to criticism that Schill handled the football scandal badly, and again it didn't help that Gragg was on vacation when the football scandal broke loose. https://www.insidenu.com/2023/7/11/23790718/op-ed-derrick-gragg-needs-to-speak-to-the-northwestern-community-or-step-away-from-it-for-good

.

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Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, now Northwestern. Are we sure we WANT to be in the BIG?

Not that we don't have our own little controversy.

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And they will have the scandal kings, USC, next year.

wifeisafurd said:

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Rushinbear said:

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wifeisafurd said:

---

a postscript on Northwestern. this is just one of a succession of scandals, some in the athletic department. They have a $800 million football field renovation occurring that was largely based on Fitz's popularity that now is in jeopardy according to news reports. They probably were going to struggle on the football field. The program was 1-8 in conference 3 of the last 4 years (the odd year was a successful 2020 short C-19 season) and took no Portal transfers during the last round primarily due to academic requirements. But things just got worse.


Arguably, the AD should have a lot of coaches under consideration if this investigation was really going on for 6 months, but since all this occurred while he was in Europe, you have to wonder. The DC is a good bet for interim coach, since he is relatively new and has no P5 coaching experience, but presumably is untouched by the scandal. The rest of it probably is a slipper slope. If I'm one of the older assistants I'm essentially in the same position as Fitz and I want to be moving on - quickly, though the AD said they would all be retained on an interim basis. Any player involved or witnessing hazing likely is getting his film tougher for a Portal transfer. NCAA rules allow Northwestern players to enter the transfer portal for 30 days after a head-coaching change. Northwestern has yet to have any players officially enter the portal, though sources in and around the program tell ESPN that most are considering the option. Movement will be quick with fall camps opening across the country in August.


Paul Chryst, Craig Petersen, David Shaw and Vandy's Greg Mason have all been mentioned as coaches who could quickly right the ship, but one has to wonder about their interest in taking over a such a damaged program that is in such a contentious situation, even if they understand the academic side of the equation. But they may not have the luxury of time with the present group of angry players. I also doesn't mean they will succeed unless NW changes its perspective on transfers and NIL. NW likely would have to pay top dollar to attract these coaches, though with the new B1G media contact there probably is money around.


The program will continual to struggle due to a one way Portal, and the fallout from Fitzgerald's dismissal and hazing scandal, and if you believe newspaper reports, a bias against NIL. There also is administrative unrest, as both AD Gragg and President Schill are receiving criticism on campus and elsewhere. There is a faculty group that opposes "big time" college sports (sound familiar?) and donors who are pissed off at the way the hazing scandal was handled. Gragg also is facing criticism for a baseball coach he hired that involves bullying. I can see the President throwing him under the bus to respond to criticism that Schill handled the football scandal badly, and again it didn't help that Gragg was on vacation when the football scandal broke loose. https://www.insidenu.com/2023/7/11/23790718/op-ed-derrick-gragg-needs-to-speak-to-the-northwestern-community-or-step-away-from-it-for-good

.

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Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, now Northwestern. Are we sure we WANT to be in the BIG?

Not that we don't have our own little controversy.

---

And they will have the scandal kings, USC, next year.

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Don't leave UCLA out of it! $700 million the James Heaps settlement.

The Big Abuse conference.

Strykur said:

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ColoradoBear said:

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Also a worry that would apply to the McKeever situation at Cal.

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At least McKeever did not have swimmers doing "car wash" drills.

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True, and the stuff McKeever did seems like the kind of bullying hard nosed men's coaches could easily get away with 30 years ago if they were winning. Which is why she might have an argument that the administration condoned it.

Then more that comes out of Northwestern ex-players, the less of a chance Fitz gets a settlement.

ColoradoBear said:

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Strykur said:

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ColoradoBear said:

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Also a worry that would apply to the McKeever situation at Cal.

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At least McKeever did not have swimmers doing "car wash" drills.

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True, and the stuff McKeever did seems like the kind of bullying hard nosed men's coaches could easily get away with 30 years ago if they were winning. Which is why she might have an argument that the administration condoned it.

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So, we can't correct present wrong-doing due to the failure to correct it in the past? Rhetorical question. We could never expect it to be corrected....by anyone, if the answer is yes.