In the wake of the hazing scandal that has rocked the private Chicago university and resulted in the termination of the school's longstanding football coach, Pat Fitzgerald, last week, former football players and their attorneys have claimed that Northwestern University's athletics department encouraged an abusive culture.
Ben Crump, a well-known civil rights lawyer, revealed in a news conference on Wednesday that he is defending more than 15 former male and female Northwestern players against claims of hazing that "go into other sports programs" aside from football, according to CBS News.
Northwestern University Hazing Scandal
He claimed that Crump's law firm had contacted over 50 former Northwestern athletes. Crump said that a toxic culture is apparent in the University's athletic department. Jim Foster, the baseball coach at Northwestern, was also let go by the University three days after Fitzgerald due to claims of bullying and abusive behavior.
Lloyd Yates, a former Northwestern quarterback who played under Fitzgerald from 2015 to 2017, joined Crump in saying that he and his teammates were "thrown into a culture where physical, emotional, and sexual abuse was normalized."
Yates said, "There was a code of silence that felt insurmountable to break, and speaking up could lead to consequences that affected playing time and could warrant further abuse."
According to Yates, the abuse was "graphic, sexually intense behavior" that "was well known throughout the program." He also said that some players have considered ending their lives due to the alleged mistreatment.
When asked about his injuries, Tommy Carnifax, a tight end at Northwestern from 2016 to 2019, said, "Coaches made me believe it was my fault I was hurt." Carnifax said he suffered many injuries during his time at Northwestern.
According to Crump, his business has not yet brought a lawsuit. On behalf of an unnamed player who participated in the football program from 2018 to 2022, a separate lawsuit was filed on Tuesday against the University and Fitzgerald, charging that hazing practices were "assaultive, illegal, and often sexual in nature."
In response to an anonymous complaint, a school inquiry into hazing claims was started last December. Fitzgerald, who had been the team's head coach since 2006 and had previously played linebacker for Northwestern in the 1990s, told ESPN following his dismissal that he had "no knowledge whatsoever of any form of hazing within the Northwestern football program."
Hazing Scandals in the US
Hazing is any activity expected of someone joining a group (whether it be a sports team, a fraternity/sorority, or a club) that humiliates, degrades, or endangers them, regardless of whether the group officially sanctions the activity. It can take many forms, including physical and psychological abuse, sleep deprivation, forced alcohol consumption, and public humiliation.
In 2017 at Pennsylvania State University, a former fraternity member was charged with involuntary manslaughter after a pledge died of alcohol poisoning during a hazing ritual.
Two fraternity members were also expelled after a pledge was hospitalized with alcohol poisoning during a hazing ritual at the University of Oklahoma in 2018.
Hazing is a serious problem that can have tragic consequences. Universities must take steps to prevent hazing and punish those who engage in it.
In addition to the legal consequences, hazing can have serious psychological consequences for the victims. Victims of hazing may experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. They may also have difficulty trusting others and may withdraw from social activities.