Longtime Northwestern assistant details procedures Fitzgerald had in place

Former Northwestern defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz hung up his whistle after a decorated 51-year career as a play caller at seven different stops following the 2020 season after being a part of 400 wins.

He spent from 2008-20 working as Pat Fitzgerald's right hand man in Evanston, and has intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the Northwestern program under Fitzgerald.

Tonight, a few weeks after the school's decision to fire Fitzgerald, Hankwitz released a detailed statement of the procedures Fitz had in place to prevent the very type of incidents that led to his dismissal.

What Hankwitz shares is the multiple outlets that players had at their disposal, from an open door policy, to meeting opportunities with Fitz, coordinators, and multiple third parties to discuss concerns around the program, and the lengths that Fitz tried to go to create a healthy culture around the program.

One notable bullet point in here is the addition of Demetrius Fields as director of player engagement for the program in 2021, and the intent behind the hire was "to be progressive and willing to learn and grow, as the reality is that not everyone's experience is perfect and ultimately that experience is built on strong relationships," Hankwitz shared.

See a full run down of the others in the screen shot below.

Below is the original tweet from Hankwitz.