Lawsuit settled, Pat Fitzgerald plans to return to coaching - NBC Sports
Two years ago, Northwestern fired coach Pat Fitzgerald amid a hazing scandal.
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Lawsuit settled, Pat Fitzgerald plans to return to coaching
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Mike Florio,
By
Mike Florio
Published November 6, 2025 01:06 PM
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Two years ago, Northwestern fired coach Pat Fitzgerald amid a hazing scandal. He sued.
Earlier this year, the case settled. Fitzgerald now says he plans to return to coaching.
“I feel very fortunate,” Fitzgerald said in an appearance on the College GameDay podcast, via Pete Thamel of ESPN.com. “I feel fully vindicated. It’s been great working through this process. There’s been conversations with a lot of folks. It’s been face-to-face, it’s been on Zoom, it’s been phone calls. [My candidacy has] been received very well.”
After Fitzgerald’s lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount, Northwestern said that “inappropriate conduct in the football program did occur.” However, the school acknowledged that the “evidence uncovered during extensive discovery did not establish that any player reported hazing to Coach Fitzgerald or that Coach Fitzgerald condoned or directed any hazing.”
Fitzgerald declined to comment on the details of the settlement. But he seems to be pleased with the outcome.
Rating: 5