Three more former Northwestern players file hazing lawsuits

Three former Northwestern players have filed lawsuits against the school and former coach Pat Fitzgerald, accusing them of harassment and abuse within the football program, including against the first whistleblower to launch an investigation into the allegations.

Former linebacker Nathan Fox, who played for Northwestern from 2015 to 2019, and two men identified as John Doe filed lawsuits in Cook County Circuit Court this week. Both Fox and the whistleblower, identified as John Doe 22, spoke with attorney Maggie Hickey, who hired Northwestern to investigate John Doe 22’s allegations after they were first raised in late 2022.

Hickey’s investigation found that the player’s hazing allegations were largely corroborated, but there was no evidence that Fitzgerald and other coaches and staff had knowledge of the incidents. After Hickey’s investigation was completed, Northwestern suspended Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay. The whistleblower then made his allegations public in the campus newspaper, the Daily Northwestern, and Northwestern President Michael Schill fired Fitzgerald two days later.

Fitzgerald filed a $130 million wrongful termination lawsuit against Schill and the school in October. His case is scheduled to be heard in 2025. A total of 25 former players have filed lawsuits against Northwestern alleging hazing and other abuse.

Fox’s lawsuit details many hazing allegations from previous filings, including “running” and other sexualized acts, many of which allegedly occurred during the team’s preseason training camp in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He said he reported his experiences to six Northwestern employees, including in 2018 to a therapist who had him sign an agreement allowing her to share his allegations with the athletic training staff. Fox said Fitzgerald reprimanded him in a team meeting shortly afterward for complaining about unfair treatment. Fox said an athletic trainer also called him out.

The lawsuit also states that when another Northwestern psychologist heard about Fox’s bullying allegations, he told him that they were not real and were based on a diagnosis of bipolar disorder that Fox never received. Fox said the psychologist prescribed him medication that caused him to consider suicide.

The lawsuit says he did not report the allegations directly to the coaching staff for fear of retaliation and went to Hickey when he learned of the hazing investigation at Northwestern football.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages in excess of $50,000. Northwestern does not comment on pending litigation against the school.

“It is abundantly clear to us that numerous employees were aware of the violent sexual harassment and emotional abuse that occurred under Northwestern’s supervision,” attorney Margaret Battersby Black, whose firm represents several plaintiffs, said in a statement. “Staff were informed of the abusive bullying by some players, including Nathan Fox, who made them aware of the abuse years before the investigation into Maggie Hickey knew he either ignored it or retaliated against those who came forward. “

More lawsuits from former players are expected to be filed against Northwestern in the coming days.