Lawsuit settled, Pat Fitzgerald plans to return to coaching

Two years ago, Northwestern fired coach Pat Fitzgerald amid a hazing scandal. He sued.

Earlier this year, the case settled. Fitzgerald now says he plans to return to coaching.

“I feel very fortunate,” Fitzgerald said in an appearance on the College GameDay podcast, via Pete Thamel of ESPN.com. “I feel fully vindicated. It’s been great working through this process. There’s been conversations with a lot of folks. It’s been face-to-face, it’s been on Zoom, it’s been phone calls. [My candidacy has] been received very well.”

After Fitzgerald’s lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount, Northwestern said that “inappropriate conduct in the football program did occur.” However, the school acknowledged that the “evidence uncovered during extensive discovery did not establish that any player reported hazing to Coach Fitzgerald or that Coach Fitzgerald condoned or directed any hazing.”

Fitzgerald declined to comment on the details of the settlement. But he seems to be pleased with the outcome.

“I feel 100 percent vindicated,” Fitzgerald said. “I feel very vindicated. Especially for our players and their families. The facts are the facts.”

Fitzgerald coached Northwestern for 17 years, generating a record of 110-101. He has spent the past two years visiting pro and college teams and studying the game.

“I just feel like I’ve got a Ph.D.,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m well rested, no bags under the eyes, ready to put the whistle around my neck and put the neck roll on and get ready to go. Somewhere, hopefully, this will work out and [we’ll] go win some championships.”

Plenty of college head-coaching jobs will be available after the season. Plenty already are. And it will be a challenge for many of the programs to find ideal candidates.

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