3 new lawsuits filed by former football players against Northwestern, Pat Fitzgerald in hazing scandal
CHICAGO (CBS) — Three more former football players have filed lawsuits against Northwestern University and their former head football coach, Pat Fitzgerald, for alleged violent sexual hazing.
Those plaintiffs include a former linebacker and the initial anonymous whistleblower who first reported the hazing and sparked the investigation, bringing the total number of lawsuits filed from players to 25.
A 71-page complaint includes testimony from now-27-year-old Nathan Fox, who played for Northwestern from 2015 to 2019.
The documents lay out many of the hazing allegations, which Fox says took place during the team's preseason training camp in Kenosha.
The other two plaintiffs in the case remain anonymous but include the original whistleblower, who first spoke with attorney Maggie Hickey, who Northwestern hired to investigate the allegations in late 2022.
The three former players claim they tried telling school leaders about the violent and sexual hazing happening within the Wildcats football program years before Hickey, a former Illinois inspector general, launched an investigation.
In his suit, Fox claims a therapist at Northwestern told him the hazing was "not real" but instead a symptom of bipolar disorder. He then prescribed him medication that he says caused serious side effects, including suicidal thoughts.
According to the lawsuit, he didn't report the allegations directly to the coaching staff because he feared retaliation.
Former coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired in July last year, 10 days after news of the hazing scandal broke.
Fitzgerald filed a $130 million wrongful termination lawsuit against the school and its president.
His case is set for trial in 2025.
Attorneys for the players suing Northwestern have requested their cases be consolidated with Fitzgerald's lawsuit against the universtiy all the way through trial.
CBS 2 legal analyst Irv Miller said that could put Northwestern in a tough spot: having to argue the school rightfully fired Fitzgerald because he should have known about the hazing, but also defending itself against the former players' claims they were abused.
"You don't have to be a lawyer to see how obvious that is," Miller said. "They're in a trick bag. On one hand, they're saying, 'Hey players, we don't think this happened,' but, you know, 'Coach, on the other hand, you're fired because you didn't do something about it.' Terrible position to be in."
In addition to the three new lawsuits, the firm representing the former players says more former Northwestern football players are expected to file lawsuits in the coming days.