A team of investigators led by former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch recommended that Northwestern improve its hazing prevention training in the wake of a scandal that rocked the school's athletic department.
Although the report released Thursday by law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP stated that “the results of our review have been largely positive,” researchers found room for improvement when it came to hazing prevention during a nearly yearlong review.
“Some people expressed interest in more interactive, hypothetical-based anti-bullying training courses, while others felt that a greater emphasis on bystander intervention would be valuable,” the report states. “Accordingly, we recommend that the Department of Athletics consider ways to incorporate more interactive, scenario-based, and bystander intervention-based training courses into its current anti-bullying training program.”
Lynch and her team interviewed more than 120 people, including current and former student-athletes, non-athlete students, coaches, athletic administrators and staff, faculty, university administrators and trustees. They reviewed documents and data, including athletic department policies.
Northwestern fired football coach Pat Fitzgerald in July 2023 after 17 seasons amid a hazing scandal that led to lawsuits across multiple sports with allegations including sexual abuse by teammates as well as racist comments by coaches and race-based assaults.
Fitzgerald was initially suspended following an investigation by attorney Maggie Hickey of the law firm ArentFox Schiff. That investigation found “insufficient” evidence that the coaching staff knew about the ongoing hazing but concluded there were “significant opportunities” to find out. Fitzgerald is suing the school for $130 million, claiming his alma mater wrongfully fired him.
Northwestern hired Lynch in July 2023 to lead an investigation into its athletic department's culture and anti-hazing procedures.
