A federal lawsuit alleging sex trafficking and forced labor against Northwestern University and four employees, including former athletic director Mike Polisky, has been voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff, a former cheerleader at the school.
Attorneys representing Hayden Richardson filed a stipulation of dismissal with prejudice on Monday.
Richardson, a member of the cheerleading squad from 2018 to 2020, filed the lawsuit against the school in January 2021, alleging that she and others experienced groping and sexual comments from fans and alumni at tailgates and donor events. The suit alleged that Northwestern and several employees, including Polisky, then the deputy athletic director, and cheerleading coordinator Pamela Bonnevier, ignored complaints from Richardson and other cheerleading squad members. A status hearing on the case had been set for Oct. 8.
Polisky was promoted to athletic director in May 2021 but resigned under pressure nine days later following media backlash and protests on and around campus. He has been working in the sports industry for a company in Chicago but has not returned to college athletics.
“It was a life-altering event that I had no control over, even though we all knew the truth,” Polisky told ESPN on Wednesday. “It wasn't an outcome that surprised me, but I'm very sad. I lost a dream job at a wonderful place and it's time for me to move on from this. I'm at least grateful for that opportunity.”
Polisky served as Northwestern's deputy athletic director from 2010 until his resignation, and was long considered the successor to Jim Phillips, who left to become ACC commissioner. He developed the athletic department's marketing slogan, “Chicago's Big Ten Team,” which is still used.
“I'm sure most of us would have chosen other ways to react at that time, but it's a very delicate situation and there are real victims, and you can't be indifferent to those people,” Polisky said. “It was a difficult situation for everyone. I just wish it had never happened. I can't and don't want to look back. It's not helpful to anyone involved in this.”
In 2023, Northwestern denied Richardson’s allegations and said it “swiftly” addressed concerns she raised in 2019 and 2020, which it said did not describe the sex trafficking allegations in her lawsuit. The school fired Bonnevier in 2020 after an investigation by its Equity Office into her conduct.
Bonnevier and two other former employees — deputy Title IX coordinator Amanda DaSilva and associate athletic director for marketing Heather Van Hoegarden — filed separate documents challenging the lawsuit.
“Since Hayden Richardson's lawsuit was filed more than three years ago, Northwestern has steadfastly maintained that her claims should be dismissed,” the university said in a statement to ESPN on Wednesday. “It has now voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against all defendants. The university is committed to fostering an environment in which all members of our community are safe, secure, and free from discrimination or harassment in any form.”
