According to The Chicago Tribune, Pat Fitzgerald, the football coach at Northwestern University, was sacked on July 10 as a result of a hazing incident.Fitzgerald, PatFitzgerald, Pat

Fitzgerald "was being relieved of his duties effective immediately" because to his "failure to know and prevent significant hazing" in the school's football program, Northwestern President Michael Schill stated in a message to the public.

Recent independent research supported a former football player's claim of teammate hazing, and its findings said that the coaching staff had "significant opportunities to discover and report the hazing conduct." Fitzgerald was consequently given a two-week suspension without pay last Friday. However, once the player's description of sexualized hazing was published by the student newspaper The Daily Northwestern, the suspension was amended to termination.

Fitzgerald stated in a statement Monday night that he was shocked by Schill's sudden unilateral revocation of the suspension agreement and that he would "take the necessary steps to protect [Fitzgerald's] rights in accordance with the law." Attorney Dan Webb and agent Bryan Harlan will "take the necessary steps to protect [Fitzgerald's] rights in accordance with the law," Fitzgerald said.

Although there was no proof that Fitzgerald was aware of the hazing in the football program, Schill said that many people were aware of it.

According to Schill, the head coach is ultimately in charge of the team's culture. Coach Fitzgerald had the chance to find out what was going on since the hazing we looked into was pervasive and obviously not a secret within the organization.