“We’re talking about probably hundreds, if not thousands of events of abuse, harassment or sexual assault during his tenure,” attorney Parker Stinar said at a Wednesday morning news conference.
By David Struett and Andy Grimm
Jul 19, 2023, 12:13pm CDT
Flanked by attorneys and supporters, former quarterback Lloyd Yates, 26, speaks during a news conference Wednesday in River North to discuss hazing in Northwestern University’s football program.
Lawyers representing nearly 20 Northwestern football players on Wednesday claimed that alleged hazing of athletes at the school was so widespread that coaching staff and school officials must have known about the abuse.
At a news conference at a downtown hotel, civil rights attorney Ben Crump — who has represented the families of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery in litigation — stood with a team of attorneys and four of some 15 former Northwestern football players that have retained his firm.
Across town, attorney Pat Salvi held a news conference announcing the second lawsuit in what could be a flood of litigation against one of the Midwest’s most esteemed universities.
Crump said his clients have yet to file a lawsuit and that he has fielded calls from 50 former NU football players, as well as athletes from the school’s baseball and softball teams. The alleged hazing dates back to at least 2013, Crump said. The unnamed player in the lawsuit was at the school from 2018 until last year.
Former NU quarterback Lloyd Yates, who starred at Oak Park-River Forest High School and whose grandfather, father and older brother all attended NU, said sexualized hazing was commonplace. Those who came forward risked losing playing time or other retaliation, and those who kept quiet felt intense pressure to fit in with teammates despite the fear and trauma the abuse created.
“No teammate I knew liked hazing,” Yates said. “We were all victims, no matter what our role was at the time, but the culture was so strong we felt we had to go with it. There was a code of silence that seemed insurmountable to overcome.”
With former players (from left) Tom Carnifax, Simba Short and Lloyd Yates looking on, attorney Ben Crump speaks during a news conference Wednesday to discuss hazing in Northwestern University’s football program.
Speaking to reporters, attorney Parker Stinar, who is representing two former players identified as “John Does” in the first two lawsuits filed to date against Northwestern, said former Wildcats head coach Patrick Fitzgerald, who was fired last week after 17 years as a coach in Evanston and four years as a standout linebacker, must have known about the hazing.
“The head football coach knows about everything that happens with his football program,” Stinar said.
“And this wasn’t just one single event. We’re talking about probably hundreds, if not thousands of events of abuse, harassment or sexual assault during his tenure,” he said.
The first lawsuit was filed Tuesday by an anonymous former player, the week after Fitzgerald was fired, after a university investigation found allegations of hazing and racial discrimination by 11 current or former players. Complaints, the investigation found, were “largely supported by the evidence.” A second lawsuit was filed by “John Doe 2” on Wednesday by the Salvi law firm. Its allegations were largely similar to the first lawsuit.
The lawsuits describe a hazing activity known as “running,” which consisted of “8-10 upperclassmen, dressed in masks, holding down a player, and dry humping the player in a dark locker room.”
The “running” ritual was first detailed by the student newspaper The Daily Northwestern. The lawsuit also added allegations of other forms of hazing, where players were forced to strip naked and bear crawl in front of the team, the lawsuit alleges. Some players were forced to slingshot themselves across the floor with exercise bands, the lawsuit states.
In a hazing ritual called “the carwash,” naked players lined up and spun around the entrance of the showers, “so that all freshman players were forced to rub up against the line of men to get to their showers,” the lawsuit states. Sometimes players sprayed “freshman as they walked through the tunnel of naked men,” the suit states.
In the “Gatorade shake challenge,” freshman players were forced to drink as many Gatorade shakes as possible during a 10-minute period as the team watched, the lawsuit states.
If players declined to participate, they’d be threatened to be “run,” the suit states.
The lawsuit alleges Fitzgerald “took part in the harassment, hazing, bullying, assault, and/or abuse of athletes” without offering more detail.
Stinar and Salvi said they have spoken with another football player on the team and will be filing a separate lawsuit Wednesday with similar allegations.
At least a half-dozen other players have retained lawyers. Crump and co-counsel Steve Levin said they still are gathering evidence and fielding calls from dozens more players, including athletes on the Northwestern softball and baseball teams.
Attorneys Patrick A. Salvi Jr. (left) and Parker Stinar answer a question during a news conference Wednesday on the first lawsuit filed in the Northwestern University football team hazing investigation.
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ReplyDeleteRegardless if you think these individuals are weak or if it plays a part( I do ), this is some queer ass shit these men were doing. Kinda gay.
ReplyDeleteLatent activity is big with the left.
DeleteWhy aren't the players that did the hazing being held accountable for their actions? If they were actually serious about ending this culture of stupidness they would not just banned but also criminally charged for their behavior.
ReplyDeleteScholarship players are like made men in the mafia they can do whatever they want to associate walk on players who are basically tackling dummies.
DeleteIf you don't go along with it you lose your scholarship chance to make it into the NFL. It's like being in the mafia the Capo coaches can do whatever they want to you. Men report rapes much less than women do.
ReplyDelete