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Big Ten Roundup (July 9): Former Northwestern Players Reveal Details on Hazing Allegations

Pat Fitzgerald was suspended for two weeks by Northwestern University following an investigation into hazing within the team's football program. On July 8, The Daily Northwestern reported on the story in further detail, with two former anonymous players stepping forward and describing coerced sexual assault within the team's locker room, among other things. In other Big Ten news, Michigan State landed four-star wide receiver Nick Marsh in the class of 2024.

Daniel Olinger

Big Ten Roundup (July 9): Former Northwestern Players Reveal Details on Hazing Allegations
Big Ten Roundup (July 9): Former Northwestern Players Reveal Details on Hazing Allegations /
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The investigation into hazing allegations at Northwestern that resulted in the two-week suspension of head coach Pat Fitzgerald has now evolved into a much bigger, much more disturbing story, as additional reporting was released that detailed the heinous acts committed within the Wildcats' football program. 

Four-star wide receiver Nick Marsh decommitted from Michigan State back in March, but has announced that he's now back with the Spartans, recommitting to Mel Tucker and MSU in the class of 2024. 

Ohio State basketball alumnus E.J. Liddell agreed to sign a three-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans after missing his first professional season with an injury.

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

Details on Northwestern Hazing Allegations

There is no sugarcoating it — Northwestern football has reached its absolute low point under Pat Fitzgerald. 

After a two-week suspension for Fitzgerald was announced on July 7, The Daily Northwestern wrote a story the following day in which a former Northwestern football player claimed the hazing involved coerced sexual acts, which was corroborated by a second former Northwestern football player. 

"It's done under this smoke and mirror of 'oh, this is team bonding', but no, this is sexual abuse," the former Northwestern football player told The Daily Northwestern. 

In the story, the former players said that the coerced sexual acts and hazing were largely targeted toward freshmen players, who were often held back by 8-10 upperclassmen as the coerced sexual acts were committed. 

It was later reported by ESPN's Adam Rittenberg that Northwestern will not comment on the details of the story beyond what was already included in the Friday report that announced the two-week suspension of Fitzgerald. 

Saturday night, a statement was released by "The ENTIRE Northwestern Football Team", that sought to highlight four key points in response to The Daily Northwestern's reporting, claiming that: 

  1. "That Northwestern Football players do not tolerate hazing."
  2. "The recent allegations brought forth are exaggerated and twisted."
  3. "Northwestern University hired an independent third-party to conduct its own private investigation into the allegations, which lasted for a rigorous six months."
  4. "Pat Fitzgerald was not involved in any of the alleged incidents in any way, shape, or form."

It should be noted that the statement just said it was from the team, but did not include any signatures of any specific Northwestern football players and/or coaches.

Northwestern's University President Michael Schill later responded that same night with an email to the entire school community, saying that he regrets only handing out a two-week suspension for Pat Fitzgerald.

"However, upon reflection, I believe I may have erred in weighing the appropriate sanction for Coach Fitzgerald," said Schill.

For more specific details on the alleged hazing that took place, go read the full story in The Daily Northwestern. 

Nick Marsh Recommits to Michigan State

After missing out on four-star linebacker Dylan Williams, Mel Tucker and the Michigan State football team was in need of a pick-me-up in the recruiting sphere. 

They just got that in Nick Marsh, a four-star wide receiver from Michigan who broke his commitment with the Spartans earlier this year, but announced this past week he was back with Michigan State, as reported by Hayes Fawcett of On3. 

Marsh is the Spartans' second four-star commit of their 2024 recruiting class and their top overall-ranked committed prospect in the class thus far, according to 247 Sports. 

 For more on the commitment of Marsh, check out the fully story on our sister site Spartan Nation. 

Related Stories on the Big Ten:

  • BIG TEN TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER: Welcome to our Big Ten men's basketball transfer portal tracker, where we'll keep you updated on the latest incoming and outgoing transfer news for all 14 Big Ten teams this offseason. CLICK HERE
  • TOP-RANKED BIG TEN FRESHMEN: Freshmen have started to arrive on campus, so let's take a look at which Big Ten schools are bringing in the top high school talent for the 2023-24 season. CLICK HERE
  • B1G PLAYERS AT NBA SUMMER LEAGUE: Keegan Murray scored 41 points in NBA Summer League Action, while Malaki Branham and Max Christie had a showdown in Sacramento. CLICK HERE
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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. 

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