Big Ten Daily (May 10): 3 More Ex-Northwestern Football Players File Hazing Lawsuits
Three more former Northwestern football players have filed lawsuits against the school, as well as former coach Pat Fitzgerald alleging hazing and mistreatment. ESPN reported the news on Thursday.
Former linebacker Nathan Fox — who played for the Wildcats from 2015-19 — and two others identified as "John Doe" filed the lawsuits. There are now 25 ex-Northwestern players have filed lawsuits alleging hazing and other mistreatment occurred within the football program.
In July, attorney Maggie Hickey of ArentFox Schiff investigated the claims of hazing. She concluded that allegations could be corroborated, but that there wasn't enough evidence to support that Fitzgerald or the coaching staff were aware of what was happening.
At the time, Northwestern placed Fitzgerald on a two-week suspension. Then, one former player went public with the allegations to The Daily Northwestern, the university's newspaper. Just a few days after the claims went public, the school decided to terminate the longtime football coach.
Fitzgerald filed a wrongful termination lawsuit over the matter in October. He is seeking $130 million.
Per ESPN's report, plaintiffs are seeking more than $50,000 in damages.
In the lawsuit, Fox alleges that he shared his experiences with six staff members at Northwestern University, including a therapist. The former linebacker said he signed an agreement with the therapist in 2018 that allowed her to share his claims with the coaching staff.
Fox then alleges that Fitzgerald and an athletic trainer called him out during a team meeting.
Fitzgerald was the coach at Northwestern from 2006-22. He was also a linebacker for the Wildcats from 1993-96. As the coach, he compiled a 110-101 record and led the team to two Big Ten West titles.
After firing Fitzgerald, Northwestern named defensive coordinator David Braun the interim coach. The Wildcats finished last season with an 8-5 record and Braun was named permanent head coach of the football program.
EA Sports reveals College Football 25 cover
The cover for EA Sports' College Football 25 video game has been released. The video game company revealed the graphic for the Deluxe Edition on Friday.
Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Colorado wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter are the three featured athletes. It also features Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck and Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins.
This game is going to be amazing😭 I’m crying real tears pic.twitter.com/8gTZQZywIT
— Is EA Sports College Football Out (@IsItOutEA) May 10, 2024
College Football 25 is one of the most anticipated video games for sports fans. The game NCAA Football was popular among college football fans for years, but the last version of the video game was the 2014 edition.
With the NCAA paving a path for student-athletes to benefit from name, image and likeness (NIL), EA Sports decided to relaunch the game and compensate players who agreed to participate.
It will be interesting to see what sales looks like for this video game when it is available in stores.
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- JOEL KLATT'S TOP 25: College football analyst Joel Klatt has released his top-25 for the 2024 season. It included seven Big Ten teams with Ohio State already ranked in the No. 1 spot. CLICK HERE
