Hoosiers Now

Big Ten Roundup (Aug. 10): Northwestern Wearing Controversial Shirts at Practice, Ohio State AD Retires

Several coaches and players on the Northwestern football team were seen at fall camp practice on Wednesday wearing shirts that said "Cats Against the World," and sported a No. 51 on them, the same jersey number Pat Fitzgerald wore during his playing career. Additionally, long time Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith announced his retirement.

Daniel Olinger

Big Ten Roundup (Aug. 10): Northwestern Wearing Controversial Shirts at Practice, Ohio State AD Retires
Big Ten Roundup (Aug. 10): Northwestern Wearing Controversial Shirts at Practice, Ohio State AD Retires /
In this story:

Northwestern football has dominated the news this summer, and for all of the wrong reasons.

The hazing scandal that started with the two week suspension of 17-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald soon grew to the firing of the Northwestern legend, and a myriad of lawsuits followed. On Wednesday, Northwestern and new interim head coach David Braun had their first open practice, and some coaches and players were spotted wearing shirts that read "Cats Against the World." These shirts all have the No. 51 on them, famously the same number that Fitzgerald himself wore at NU as a linebacker in the '90s. Many have, understandably, interpreted the shirts as the coaches and players showing that they still support Fitzgerald and were upset by his firing. 

In other Big Ten news, Gene Smith — after spending 18 years as the Athletic Director at The Ohio State University — announced his retirement on Wednesday. 

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

Cats Against the World

Have you ever watched someone drop something very heavy in a very embarrassing manner in a public setting, and then they try to pick it up and continue like everything is fine, but they just keep dropping it and it keeps getting more embarrassing?

Anyways, here's what happened at Northwestern yesterday:

As first reported by Inside NU's Bradley Locker, members of the Northwestern football team wore shirts that read "Cats Against the World" at Wednesday's open practice. With the shirts also sporting Fitzgerald's old number, it's been assumed that the team is not just showing unity with itself, but solidarity with the fired head coach. In Locker's original post, Northwestern offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian can be seen wearing the controversial shirt. 

Several Northwestern football players had posted images of these shirts on Instagram last month, and they were available for purchase until July 31. 

Several prominent voices in college football and national sports media reacted to Locker's post, and compared the Northwestern team's continued support of Fitzgerald to what Baylor's staff did following the dismissal of Art Briles. 

When asked about the shirts, interim coach Braun said that he's focused on supporting the team, and that it isn't up to him to, "censor anyone's free speech."

Following the Wednesday practice, Northwestern athletic director Derrick Gragg released a statement saying that he was disappointed with the players and staffers who wore the shirts. Gragg called the shirts, "inappropriate, offensive and tone deaf." 

After one of the messiest offseason any team or athletics program has ever seen, Northwestern football begins its 2023 campaign on Sept. 3, with a Sunday night road game at Big Ten foe Rutgers. 

Gene Smith Retires

Not every school's fanbase cares greatly about who the athletic director is, but Ohio State is one of them. First taking up the job in 2005, Smith has long been a prominent figure in Buckeye athletics. He has overseen four different head coaches on the football field in Jim Tressel, Luke Fickell, Urban Meyer and Ryan Day. 

Smith will still be serving as Ohio State's athletic director until June 30, 2024, when his retirement becomes official. The Buckeyes have won five national championships during Smith's 18 years at the helm, with one coming in football, one coming in wrestling and three coming in men's volleyball.

For more on the retirement of Smith, check out the full story on our sister site Buckeyes Now. 

Related Stories

  • INJURY UPDATE ON DEXTER WILLIAMS II: Coach Tom Allen spoke to media on Wednesday and said that the redshirt sophomore quarterback is "further along" in his recovery to this point than they expected him to be. CLICK HERE
  • LIAM MCNEELEY FILM STUDY: The Hoosiers are in contention to land the five-star wing from Montverde, so we took a close look at his game and wrote a scouting report detailing what McNeeley could bring to Indiana. CLICK HERE
  • GRACE BERGER SCORES 14 FOR FEVER: The former Indiana Hoosier had another great performance for the Indiana Fever, scoring the third most points on the team on efficient shooting splits. CLICK HERE
Published
Daniel Olinger
DANIEL OLINGER

Daniel Olinger is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation reporter for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Northwestern University with degrees in both journalism and economics. 

Home/Football