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More B1G shenanigans? Northwestern University, you're up!

Parliament

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Js1

Js1 85,340

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21 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

Judging from the player photos, the haircut accusations are b.s. In fact, it appears that the black players have wider ranging hairstyles than the white players. 

Confirmed by multiple players and published by the NU school paper at one of the top J schools in the country 

Definitely “BS”  

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CustersDoctor

CustersDoctor 584

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52 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

Judging from the player photos, the haircut accusations are b.s. In fact, it appears that the black players have wider ranging hairstyles than the white players. 

I have to agree with this. 30 years ago the Oilers rookie initiation consisted of a bad hair cut. I remember laughing at Bucky Richardson's hair. If you're being coerced into bad haircuts there's gonna be pics.

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gatormarc

gatormarc 911

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https://dailynorthwestern.com/2023/07/10/campus/former-nu-players-describe-racist-environment-in-football-program/

Spoiler

Former NU players describe racist environment in football program

Ryan field. Multiple players have come forward describing hazing rituals on the Northwestern football team.
Nicole Markus, Alyce Brown, and Cole Reynolds
July 10, 2023

Three former Northwestern football players described a “culture of enabling racism” to The Daily, recalling multiple racist actions and remarks from both coaching staff and players. 

All three players, who played for the team in late 2000s, also corroborated some of the hazing allegations reported by The Daily on Saturday.

Ramon Diaz Jr., a Latino offensive lineman for Northwestern from 2005 to 2008, said his experience on the football team was hostile as a non-white player.

“I didn’t feel like I could be anything other than white,” Diaz told The Daily. “We never felt like we could be ourselves. We had to fit in by being white or acting white or laughing at our own people.”

Another player, who asked to remain anonymous and played through the 2009 season, said racism on the team was often blatant. He alleged head coach Pat Fitzgerald would ask Black players and coaches to cut off longer hairstyles — including dreadlocks — so that they were more in line with what Fitzgerald called the “Wildcat Way.”

The player said this phrase — along with “good, clean American fun” — was used often by coaches to reference how they wanted players to look and act. 

The first anonymous player said that white players who had long hairstyles were not asked to alter their appearances.

“Those are two phrases you would hear a lot around the program that referred to the sentiment of ‘fall in line,’” the player said. “If you were not in line with the “Wildcat Way,” Coach Fitz or any one of the coaches will be quick to say like, ‘yeah, check your scholarship.”

Fitzgerald’s agent declined The Daily’s request for comment.

A second anonymous player, a former offensive lineman who is Black, told The Daily a similar story about Fitzgerald asking a member of the coaching staff to cut off his dreadlocks. 

“The racist stuff… the stuff that refers to how Black players are treated, in my mind, that was a form of hazing,” the first anonymous player said. 

University spokesperson Jon Yates told The Daily that the University was not aware of these allegations.

“The alleged ‘racist commentary and behavior toward non-white players’ by Coach Fitzgerald and members of his staff would be entirely unacceptable and inconsistent with our culture and values, if true,” Yates wrote in an email. “As we do with any allegation, we will immediately address the accusations and any findings will be considered.

The second anonymous player agreed, adding racism was central in the program’s culture.

“There was a certain culture of enabling racism and other microaggressions that I had to experience and that other offensive linemen that were people of color had to experience,” the second player said. 

Diaz, the former offensive lineman, is now a clinical therapist. He said the program’s culture had a profound mental impact on him. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after graduating from Northwestern, and said that his time on the football team was a major factor in that diagnosis. 

After graduating he would have flashbacks of things that happened in the football locker room and nightmares, he said. 

“The fact that I’m still going to a therapist and talking about these things after more than 10 years is indicative of the mental health state I was left in,” Diaz said. “I didn’t even watch a football game again for almost five years after I left Northwestern. It was that negative of an experience for me that I didn’t want anything to do with the sport.”

Diaz described several racist remarks players and coaches said to him. One teammate asked him why he didn’t play soccer instead of football. He said he was also forced to shave “Cinco de Mayo” into his hair during a tradition where freshmen would shave messages on their heads. 

Both Diaz and the second anonymous player detailed an instance in which a former offensive line coach joked by asking Diaz how to clean a dirty room. The coach then made a racist joke about how Diaz’s family must know how to clean houses, both former players said. 

Diaz said he heard the same coach tell a Black teammate to stop wearing certain hats because he “wasn’t in the hood anymore,” before calling the way he walked a “gangster walk.”

He also said he once heard a player tell another Black teammate to show him “how monkeys act.”

“Your Blackness was not allowed to shine through, whether it was how you carried yourself all your way down to your hair,” the first anonymous player said.

The second anonymous player added that he often felt like the team was segregated by race. He said the defensive side of the ball had more Black players, while the offensive side was often majority white. That made it difficult to be an offensive player of color, he said.

“A lot of people ended up transferring, particularly off the offensive side of the ball, because it was a very racially segregated team,” he said. 

Diaz agreed the team “absolutely” felt segregated at times, especially on the offensive line. By the end of his time at Northwestern, Diaz said he felt “completely alienated” from his teammates and felt he had to act white to fit in. 

“The topics of most of those conversations (with his therapist) are around my self worth,” Diaz said. “Which is a very common outcome of someone who has been under psychological control and manipulation, and abuse.”

All three players also confirmed a hazing tradition called the “car wash” existed and was part of a larger system of hazing on the team. 

This story has been updated to include a player’s direct quote in the lede. This story has also been updated to include University comment.

 

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South Austin

South Austin 52,509

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Fitzgerald should be gone, regardless of his lackluster coaching record over the last couple years. 

But it's worth noting that he's overall been one of the most successful coaches in Northwestern history and had that program overachieving for most of his career.  I think it's going to be difficult for that program to match that success with the next hire, especially with the combination of its higher academic standards and the advent of NIL.

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Js1

Js1 85,340

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20 minutes ago, CustersDoctor said:

I have to agree with this. 30 years ago the Oilers rookie initiation consisted of a bad hair cut. I remember laughing at Bucky Richardson's hair. If you're being coerced into bad haircuts there's gonna be pics.

The “back in the day it was fine and funny” posts are out. They also didn’t give a shit about player safety, head injuries, etc. 

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ImissWallyPryor

ImissWallyPryor 9,046

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2 hours ago, Js1 said:

Confirmed by multiple players and published by the NU school paper at one of the top J schools in the country 

Definitely “BS”  

Give Me A Break Reaction GIF by reactionseditor

As a former next door neighbor (and friend) of a journalist who was at the forefront of one on the biggest scandals in journalism history, I agree wholeheartedly that they should never be questioned.

My wife was a summa cum laude graduate of UT journalisn school, and it always bothered her that journalism wasn’t even a true profession. She eventually went to medical school, so that removed one irritation from her life. 

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gatormarc

gatormarc 911

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12 minutes ago, Davis Lane said:

I'm not looking up "car wash" hazing activity.

Spoiler

In a once-a-year tradition dubbed “the carwash,” the first player said that some players would stand naked at the entrance to the showers and spin around, forcing those entering the showers to “basically (rub) up against a bare-naked man.” Upon entering the showers, the player alleged that players set up a hose they connected to the shower to spray people. 

“It’s extremely painful,” the player said. 

 

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Pato del Muerto

Pato del Muerto 52,499

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3 hours ago, gatormarc said:

"Old School" coach probably kept the same traditions going that were there when he was a player and an assistant.

Most of the defenders I've seen on the Internet seem to be of the "hazing is a natural part of football, you just don't understand because you're not a real man" line of thinking.

Most defenders probably got hazed and then did hazing themselves as members of a sports team or fraternity, and either think it’s normal or need it to be. 

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Js1

Js1 85,340

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Private schools, man. 

Quote

In addition, these members confirmed that Athletic Director Derrick Gragg conducted a “chaotic and unusual hiring process” in tabbing Foster as head coach in June 2022. He and Deputy Director of Athletics Monique Holland supposedly “pawned the hire off” to two Northwestern boosters, who sat in on final interviews. 

Those boosters, who played for former head coach Ron Wellman, said that hiring a “disciplinarian” (as the report noted) like Foster, who coached at Army before coming to Evanston, would help the players overachieve.

Quote

According to the report, one player was forced to engage in a “punishment run,” which lasted for the “vast majority of a 2.5-hour practice.” This occurred in spite of a Rhode Island player dying under Foster’s watch, allegedly for a “punishment run.”

 

 

Woof 

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hayden_horn

hayden_horn 11,362

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i must live in the world's most protective bubble. i played plenty of sports and while sometimes things got a little weirdly homoerotic under the guise of totally not being gay, sexual assault was not even close to on the table. regular old physical assault? sure, i got my ass kicked all the time being a small dude. but i never got my ass humped. pretty sure the second that happened, i'd have peaced the fuck out.

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Huckleberry

Huckleberry 32,861

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1 hour ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

As a former next door neighbor (and friend) of a journalist who was at the forefront of one on the biggest scandals in journalism history, I agree wholeheartedly that they should never be questioned.

My wife was a summa cum laude graduate of UT journalisn school, and it always bothered her that journalism wasn’t even a true profession. She eventually went to medical school, so that removed one irritation from her life. 

This is going well for you. 

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Texas Wahoo

Texas Wahoo 3,397

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Quote

Those of us who know Coach Fitz and also the general landscape of college football today are well-aware of the fact taht he is one of the few good guys left in a profession that has increasingly become filled with the Deion Sanders of the world - grown men who only see these student-athletes as stepping stones for their own careers.

They are definitely circling the wagons - outing the whistle blower.  Saying at least he cares about his players unlike other coaches.  Everyone knows that if you truly care about your players, you make sure they get sufficiently dry-humped.

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texifornia

texifornia 56,970

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3 minutes ago, Texas Wahoo said:

 

They are definitely circling the wagons - outing the whistle blower.  Saying at least he cares about his players unlike other coaches.  Everyone knows that if you truly care about your players, you make sure they get sufficiently dry-humped.

I think Deion is an ass, but using him in this context when there are DJ Durkins and Brian Kellys in the world is some serious dogwhistle shit. 

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Skipper

Skipper 6,135

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Interesting.  So the company line is the whistle blower is really an Uncle Rico trying to take down the HC over lack of playing time?   Looks like he is one of those assholes I get cold calls from for Northwestern Mutual now.  He probably tells everyone he would have won the Big 10 had Fitzgerald just played him.

Career Stats:  5/13 for 58 and 1 INT

 

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Texas Wahoo

Texas Wahoo 3,397

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3 minutes ago, Skipper said:

Interesting.  So the company line is the whistle blower is really an Uncle Rico trying to take down the HC over lack of playing time?   Looks like he is one of those assholes I get cold calls from for Northwestern Mutual now.  He probably tells everyone he would have won the Big 10 had Fitzgerald just played him.

Career Stats:  5/13 for 58 and 1 INT

 

Maybe that's why he's coming forward - but it doesn't really change the fact that the investigation corroborated his statements:

Quote

Current and former players varied on their perspective of the conduct; however, the investigation team determined that the complainant’s claims were largely supported by the evidence gathered during the investigation, including separate and consistent first-person accounts from current and former players. While the investigation did not uncover evidence pointing to specific misconduct by any individual football player or coach, participation in or knowledge of the hazing activities was widespread across football players.  

 

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Skipper

Skipper 6,135

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3 minutes ago, Texas Wahoo said:

Maybe that's why he's coming forward - but it doesn't really change the fact that the investigation corroborated his statements:

 

Oh I'm on not weighing in on the veracity of his allegations.  No idea nor do I care enough about Northwestern football enough to really dive in and form an opinion.  That's just the first I've seen at all from the other side other than the somewhat ridiculous public statement signed by "The Entire Northwestern Football Team" 

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gatormarc

gatormarc 911

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Does Footballscoop have some sort of connection to the NW AD?

It seems they have the monopoly on former players claiming its all false while the other news sources are finding evidence.

Of course, I can't really confirm this since Elon didn't pay his bills.

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ChiTownDoc

ChiTownDoc 21,154

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3 hours ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

As a former next door neighbor (and friend) of a journalist who was at the forefront of one on the biggest scandals in journalism history, I agree wholeheartedly that they should never be questioned.

My wife was a summa cum laude graduate of UT journalisn school, and it always bothered her that journalism wasn’t even a true profession. She eventually went to medical school, so that removed one irritation from her life. 

No idea about haircut details but the racism shit is 100% true.  Hosted one of their TE’s wedding party in my condo years ago and he had some of his old teammates there.  He was embarrassed af hearing the jokes many of them made.  Haven’t talked to him in years but I’d guess he would begrudgingly admit this shit is true.  I say begrudgingly because being an ex football player there who went to their law school, he 100% went places with those connections being a big part of his success.  

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demos

demos 3,003

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Fitzgerald should be gone, regardless of his lackluster coaching record over the last couple years. 
But it's worth noting that he's overall been one of the most successful coaches in Northwestern history and had that program overachieving for most of his career.  I think it's going to be difficult for that program to match that success with the next hire, especially with the combination of its higher academic standards and the advent of NIL.

Wait until they see my NCAA resume. Took Yale to multiple championships in dynasty mode. Built a powerhouse.
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