Northwestern Football Hazing/Pat Fitzgerald Let Go

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Iowa I thought already had their coach in waiting. Otherwise that would be a good fit. Shoot are we sure Sconny wouldn't take him after moving on from Fickell?

Good call on Wisconsin. Seems like a good fit.

He's going to pop up again somewhere one way or another. He's 50 years old and this should be behind him if it isn't already. The settlement should charge momentum into his next landing now.

A lot has changed in college football but I think just about anywhere he'd end up would be easier to navigate than Northwestern.

 

[sfk324]

Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern reach settlement in wrongful termination lawsuit

Northwestern fired Fitzgerald in 2023 amid hazing allegations in the football program. He's maintained that he was unaware of the incidents.

www.nytimes.com

He's going to be back. Just a matter of when and where.

Does him taking over Iowa when Ferentz steps down seem totally off?

Why would anyone give him the keys to their program at this point? He's been out of college coaching for 3 years now, and it's not like he was doing Ara-like or even Gary Barnett level stuff to begin with. He has no connections anywhere that isn't NU, Sandburg High School, or Loyola Academy. Maybe his two preseason games in Dallas will be enough for Jerry Jones to give him a call with as poorly as that guy runs things these days. But otherwise you have to figure he has to start as an analyst somewhere and work his way back up.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Good call on Wisconsin. Seems like a good fit.

He's going to pop up again somewhere one way or another. He's 50 years old and this should be behind him if it isn't already. The settlement should charge momentum into his next landing now.

A lot has changed in college football but I think just about anywhere he'd end up would be easier to navigate than Northwestern.

Only thing they really have going at the moment is the stadium. They're not even the best B1G program in the state anymore

 

[Valpodoc85]

gotta do something. Can't just fold up the tent

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Only thing they really have going at the moment is the stadium. They're not even the best B1G program in the state anymore

I was thinking more along the lines of admissions and academic requirements being easier just about anywhere else for him compared to there. Yes, though, you're right. Things fell off for NU after he left.

I don't buy for a second that he didn't know these things were going on. Not based on the evidence that was presented. That being said, if they'd been winning more games, I suspect he'd probably still be there.

Fitzgerald has never been a coordinator. He was named head coach without ever having called plays on either side of the ball. His tenure at NU really felt like a Paterno or Bowden type of situation where he'd be there until his golden years. It ended up ending a lot sooner.

 

[sfk324]

I was thinking more along the lines of admissions and academic requirements being easier just about anywhere else for him compared to there. Yes, though, you're right. Things fell off for NU after he left.

I don't buy for a second that he didn't know these things were going on. Not based on the evidence that was presented. That being said, if they'd been winning more games, I suspect he'd probably still be there.

Fitzgerald has never been a coordinator. He was named head coach without ever having called plays on either side of the ball. His tenure at NU really felt like a Paterno or Bowden type of situation where he'd be there until his golden years. It ended up ending a lot sooner.

I can believe he didn't know, but only because he was dumb enough to think a bunch of 18-22 year olds wouldn't do stupid shit if they weren't supervised.

 

[zelezo vlk]

I was thinking more along the lines of admissions and academic requirements being easier just about anywhere else for him compared to there. Yes, though, you're right. Things fell off for NU after he left.

I don't buy for a second that he didn't know these things were going on. Not based on the evidence that was presented. That being said, if they'd been winning more games, I suspect he'd probably still be there.

Fitzgerald has never been a coordinator. He was named head coach without ever having called plays on either side of the ball. His tenure at NU really felt like a Paterno or Bowden type of situation where he'd be there until his golden years. It ended up ending a lot sooner.

Yeah, the admissions and academic requirements are a double-edged sword. Northwestern is obviously a great school and that degree is tempting to many prospects, but it'll narrow the pool of guys you take. Anywhere else he goes is likely to be easier along those lines.

I'm with you, the culture of the program stems from every decision the head coach makes. Shoot I can't recall all the details of this case, but it wouldn't surprise me if this thing went back a long time maybe even back to his playing days. I'd be surprised if hazing this day and age just pops up out of nowhere. Regardless of whether Fitz was fully aware or not, it speaks to the culture he instilled in Northwestern that this was tolerated.

 

[Irish4life]

Wonder if Stanford would pursue?

 

[zelezo vlk]

Wonder if Stanford would pursue?

Another one I was thinking, though he of course has no West Coast connections and those would be pretty big to help re-establish those nerds.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

I don't see Stanford as a fit. It's almost like all the ND fans who loved him because of his last name and his connection to NU's academics. The guy hates Notre Dame going back to the time he was a recruit. Stranger things have happened, but Fitzgerald at Stanford seems like a bridge too far. Especially for someone who is coming back and would need to rehab his image.

Strong chance he'd perhaps have to start out at a higher level G5 school. Maybe an NFL LB coach? Not having been a coordinator and having ever called plays makes him an interesting case.

Hard to know what a fit really is. He played at NU and coached there for over 20 years. I think most thought he was going to be there forever, and chances are that could have been the case if he hadn't been negligent in keeping the nonsense tamped down.

Could be all about timing and what opens up when.

 

[pumpdog20]

Fitz's son is a walk on at Iowa. Would be a great fit.
Though after all the stuff with their old S&C coach, I'm not sure they would go with someone with hazing allegations, true or not.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Fitz's son is a walk on at Iowa. Would be a great fit.
Though after all the stuff with their old S&C coach, I'm not sure they would go with someone with hazing allegations, true or not.

I doubt they'd care one way or another, unless their fanbase had a Schiano Tennessee type of uprising against it. Or the people with money who really make decisions for the university say no.

Fitzgerald could probably get along fine as an NFL linebacker coach. It's just a really weird situation considering he was the HC where he also played and was never a coordinator. It's hard to really know what a fit looks like. Northwestern has the smallest undergrad enrollment in the Big Ten. Iowa is also one of the smallest but they have over double the amount of students NU does. I think when it comes to doing more with less, there are similarities there, but that's really about it.

Ferentz is under contract until 2029 and there doesn't appear to be a succession plan in place, formal or informal.