Pat Fitzgerald, the veteran head football coach at Northwestern University, was sacked on Monday after an investigation revealed pervasive hazing,
who has led the Wildcats as head coach since 2006, would be suspended for two weeks without pay, effective October 3.
After consulting with the board of trustees, students, alumni, and Fitzgerald himself, Northwestern president Michael Schill said in a statement that the
university had decided to terminate the 48-year-old Fitzgerald's employment "after a difficult and complex evaluation" of his previous disciplinary action.
Schill stated, "It was my decision to suspend Coach Fitzgerald in the first place, and it is my decision to part ways with him now."
The dismissal was announced on Saturday after The Daily Northwestern published an anonymous player's account of a sexual conduct including the restraint of a younger player by around ten of the player's teammates.
Fitzgerald, a former linebacker for the Northwestern Wildcats, and his attorney were both unavailable for comment when we tried to contact them late Monday night.
On the other hand, Fitzgerald told ESPN in a statement that he was "surprised" to find that Schill had canceled their "mutual agreement" on the two-week suspension