Northwestern has reached a settlement with former football coach Pat Fitzgerald nearly two years after he sued the university for $130 million following his firing amid a team hazing scandal.<\/p>\n
Fitzgerald announced the settlement Thursday through a statement via his attorneys<\/a>, saying he had resolved his claims of breach of contract, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress with the university to his satisfaction. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.<\/p>\n \u201cThough I maintain Northwestern had no legal basis to terminate my employment for cause under the terms of my employment agreement, in the interest of resolving this matter and, in particular, to relieve my family from the stress of ongoing litigation, Northwestern and I have agreed to a settlement,\u201d Fitzgerald said.<\/p>\n Northwestern fired Fitzgerald on July 10, 2023, saying at the time that 11 current or former football players had acknowledged hazing that included \u201cforced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature.\u201d<\/p>\n The university originally suspended Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay after its investigation. But Northwestern President Michael Schill said in an open letter three days later that the coach was responsible for the team\u2019s culture and should have known the hazing occurred.<\/p>\n