An independent report found hazing did occur in the school's football program. One player told the Daily Northwestern it involved sexualized acts.
The football season is still two months away, but a firestorm is brewing in Evanston. University officials admitted that longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald may be deserving of further punishment above and beyond the two week off-season suspension issued Friday following a six-month investigation into hazing practices within the team.
The about-face came hours after the university's student-run newspaper ran an interview with a former player, who described in agonizing detail sexualized hazing practices he said routinely take place inside the locker room. One common practice, called "running," involved a younger player being restrained while eight to 10 older players engaged in a sexualized act in the locker room.
According to the newspaper, the former player reported his claims to the school in late 2022, and he spoke to investigators during the university-commissioned probe, whose findings were released Friday.The school said the hazing claims could be "largely supported" and that "there had been significant opportunities to discover and report" what had happened, but investigators did not find enough evidence to prove coaches knew about the activities.
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