Northwestern football: It may be time to move on from Pat Fitzgerald

After a thorough investigation into the Northwestern football program, the university decided to suspend Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks.

The news came as a bit of a shock to fans of Northwestern and the rest of the Big Ten because Fitzgerald seemed like the last coach to have lost control of his program. But some hazing rumors and now reports from legit sources have made it seem like a two-week suspension was far too light.

In fact, Fitzgerald could very well find himself on the hot seat after the latest reports of former players being subjected to sexualized hazing.

Even worse, the accusation states that “everyone” knew about it.

A whiteboard in the middle of the locker room with a list of hazing activities on it seems like something Fitzgerald would have to know about, right?

If every single player knew about it, the coaches had to be aware. I mean, they’re around the program more than anyone else. These things don’t just happen without someone in power knowing.

This is a really bad look for Fitzgerald and the Wildcats.

It may be time for Northwestern football to move on

Fitzgerald has been in Evanston for 17 years and he’s compiled a 110-101 overall record during that time. That’s an impressive feat for Northwestern.

Putting up a winning record with two Big Ten West titles isn’t an easy task, especially considering the high academic standards at Northwestern. The Wildcats aren’t a traditional power and they can’t just recruit at the same level as every other contender in the Big Ten. Northwestern has been known as a respectable program under Fitzgerald.

But the reputation is at risk because of what he has let happen in terms of hazing under his reign.

And that’s why I think that it may be time for Fitzgerald to move on. The more details that come out make things look even worse. The two-week suspension seemed like a slap on the wrist for a minor incident, but now we’re seeing that the hazing was worse than we thought and that everyone seemed to know about it.

Fitzgerald may have been the best thing to happen to Northwestern football but it’s not worth risking the program’s reputation just to keep him.

This is a bad look for the Wildcats and the only way to save face may be moving on.