Big Ten Roundup (Aug. 18): Former Northwestern Athletes Defend School in Letter, Thorne Named Starter at Auburn

More than 1,000 former Northwestern athletes signed an open letter on Thursday that said that, while they all condemn hazing practices, they had positive experiences at Northwestern and that the allegations do not define the culture of the school. Additionally, former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne was named the starter at Auburn.

More than a month has passed since Northwestern fired long time head coach and program legend Pat Fitzgerald.

And yet, the fallout and scope of the Northwestern Hazing Scandal continues to grow day by day all the same. 

On Thursday, more than 1,000 former Northwestern student-athletes penned and signed an open letter defending the school's athletics culture, as first reported by Adam Rittenberg. 

All the way down in SEC country, meanwhile, former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne was named the starter for coach Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers. 

Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:

Open Letter from Former Northwestern Athletes

As has been the case since July, several former Northwestern athletes have filed lawsuits against the schools and the University's athletic department, while others have come to its defense.

We saw more of the latter on Thursday when 1,004 former Wildcats signed an open letter saying that they condemn hazing "in any form," but that Northwestern is not defined by the recent scandal, and that they enjoyed a positive experience at the school.

Following Rittenberg's initial report, Inside NU's Bradley Locker reported some of the names signed to the open letter.

They include: former Northwestern offensive tackle and No. 11 overall draft pick Peter Skoronski, former Northwestern quarterbacks Trevor Siemian, Steve Schnur, Clayton Thorson and Dan Persa, former MLB pitcher J.A. Happ and seven-time NFL pro-bowler Chris Hinton. 

Cont.

Jacob Schmidt (executive director of TrueNU)
Ally Palermo
Dan Persa
Brian Peters
Austin Carr
Jeremy Ebert
Drew Crawford
Chris Hinton
Steve Schnur
Elle Hansen
Riley Lees (current NUFB GA)
Eileen Canney Linnehan
Chris Bergin
Joe Spivak
Nathan Taphorn
Ethan Wiederkehr

— Bradley Locker (@Bradley_Locker) August 17, 2023

"What we must remember throughout this difficult time is that the actions of a few do not and should not define the University and Athletics as a whole," Alexis Prousis, a former NCAA tennis champion at Northwestern, said in Rittenberg's story. 

At this time, Northwestern is still facing lawsuits from more than 10 former football players for alleged hazing with the program. Additionally, the school is also facing a lawsuit from a former Northwestern volleyball player, alleging hazing within that program as well. 

Payton Thorne Named Auburn Starter

Just two seasons ago, Thorne helped guide the Spartans to an 8-0 start and the No. 3 overall spot in the College Football Playoff rankings entering the home stretch of the 2021 season.

Oh how things have changed since then. 

Payton Thorne has been named Auburn's starting QB for Week 1, per @_JHokanson pic.twitter.com/dDMYSzW4wN

— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 17, 2023

Following a disappointing 2022 campaign for both Thorne and a Spartans team that finished 5-7, the quarterback left coach Mel Tucker and East Lansing to play for Freeze and Auburn in the SEC. On Thursday, Thorne was named the starter over Auburn incumbent Robby Ashford. Thorne threw for 6,501 yards, 49 touchdowns and 24 interceptions during his past three years at Michigan State.

For more on Thorne being named the Auburn starter, check out the full story on our sister site Spartan Nation. 

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