KENOSHA, Wis. — Amid a hazing scandal on its football team, Northwestern University has said football practices at “Camp Kenosha” will be "permanently discontinued."
Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald has been fired, according to several reports. The university previously said in a summary of its investigation that Fitzgerald has been placed on a two-week suspension without pay and Northwestern will require monitoring of the football locker room by someone who doesn't report to coaching staff.
Sources: Northwestern has fired coach Pat Fitzgerald.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 10, 2023
An anonymous whistle-blower was behind the launch of the investigation. That person, according to Northwestern, said some of the hazing practices may have started at training at Camp Kenosha, held annually at UW-Parkside.
According to the Northwestern student newspaper, the allegations came from a former football player who detailed instances of hazing and sexual abuse.
Since the 1990s, NU had stayed at Parkside, using their dorms, dining facilities and athletic facilities to train before the fall football season.
Craig Becker, Parkside's associate athletic director for facilities and capital, said it's been a good relationship for Parkside.
"All of our external rentals, including Northwestern and their football program, was influential in terms of revenue side for our athletic department. Not only us and athletics, but the campus and university as a whole," said Becker.
Before the news broke, Becker said, he'd never been aware of any hazing allegations during the camp, which was run by Northwestern.
"No, not to my knowledge. As I mentioned earlier, during my time here and Camp Kenosha, while I was in this role, probably seven or eight years, during that time they were downright very respectful," said Becker. "Their staff was always respectful to our students, our staff and facilities. We enjoyed them being on campus."
Becker said Northwestern hadn't trained here since 2020 due to the pandemic and possibly because Northwestern built new athletic facilities in Illinois.
But, he said, the team had expressed great interest in returning and continuing a long tradition.
"I think they enjoyed the experience in getting off campus. Close enough, but far enough away from their day-to-day habits being a college football athlete," said Becker.
With practice set to begin in just a few weeks, next steps for the football program remain unclear, especially with the firing of Coach Fitzgerald.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
