The Northwestern University football program is going through a serious hazing scandal, as multiple players, former players, and sports staff have confirmed that the team has a history of some horrible hazing traditions. A former football player who started the conversation alleged that the football team has hazing rituals that involve “forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature, in clear violation of Northwestern policies and values,” according to Northwestern's president, Michael Schill. The coach, Pat Fitzgerald, allegedly always knew about the hazing and would even occasionally encourage it.

At least 11 players and former players came out supporting the comment made by the former player, confirming his story. The hazing rituals reportedly included “running,” which was when the team forced the freshmen who made mistakes at practice to participate in sexual behavior. The young players who made mistakes at practice would be placed on “Shrek's list” and there were multiple times when the players would be placed on the list by Coach Fitzgerald himself. At the time of the first investigation, Coach Fitzgerald was only placed on a 2-week unpaid leave, but after an article was published by the school newspaper, Fitzgerald has since been fired. This coaching change has happened right around the time when the football team will be reporting to their preseason summer training. Without a head coach and amid this scandal, the team will likely have some difficulty adjusting to it all. Who is to say how this scandal will affect Northwestern football's future recruiting chances?

Though this story is alarming and disturbing, it sadly is not the first hazing scandal that has rocked the sports world. Here is a list of three other times that hazing was uncovered in a college sports team:

1. Wheaton College Football

In 2017, the DIII football program of Wheaton College in Illinois had an extreme hazing scandal where players were arrested. The players were reportedly charged with crimes including mob action, unlawful restraint, and aggravated battery. The hazing victim alleged that the older players took him from his dorm room, restrained him with duct tape, beat him, and threatened sexual acts on the victim. This assault left the victim with injuries that required medical attention and surgery. The Wheaton football team is the same team that walked around in Ku Klux Klan hoods and carried Confederate flags around as a “team-building activity.”

2. Penn State Football

In 2020, a former Penn State football player was hazed consistently for nine months. The player had reported the football hazing scandal to the coaching staff, and instead of helping him, the staff only made the player's life worse. This scandal eventually made its way to court, where the player reported that his teammates physically and sexually harassed him for a long period of time. The hazing was not only targeted toward one player but the entire freshman class. The football staff apparently knew everything but did nothing about it. James Franklin was the head coach involved in the scandal and is still the head coach today. One anonymous 2aDays athlete rated Franklin and described him as “Egotistical. Manipulative. Be wary what you tell him.” This story is just another example of a coaching staff protecting their reputations instead of their players' mental and physical health.

3. New Mexico State Basketball

This year, in 2023, the New Mexico State men's basketball season was canceled after a police report noted three players hazing a teammate. In the middle of their season, a player told authorities that his teammates restrained him, took off his clothing, and assaulted him. The victim stated that this type of hazing had been happening for months in their locker room and on road trips. The entire coaching staff was put on paid administrative leave and two players left the team after the incident. Head coach Greg Heiar eventually left the Aggies after the investigation. 

Image Credit: The Daily Northwestern