Several current Northwestern University football players took to social media Monday to express their anger, dismay and outrage at the handling of Pat Fitzgerald's firing by school officials Monday evening.
Fitzgerald was fired by school officials on the heels of a university investigation into allegations of hazing inside Fitzgerald's program -- an investigation that was concluded and did not find Fitzgerald directly at fault, one which also initially resulted in a two-week suspension for Fitzgerald before detractors of that decision pushed for a more stringent penalty on the veteran Wildcats coach and former player.
Wildcats tight end Marshall Lang, a junior from Cincinnati-area prep powerhouse St. Xavier, revealed that Northwestern leaders had not bothered to deliver the news of Fitzgerald's abrupt firing -- just days after the school said that he would be suspended two weeks -- in person.
Lang's blunt statement on the situation came atop the revelation from teammate Charlie Mangieri that the school's leaders had merely elected to "zoom in to make a statement and leave before allowing time for questions."
To zoom in to make a statement like this and leave before allowing time for questions has me baffled… terrible
— Charlie Mangieri (@CharlieMangieri) July 11, 2023
Michael Schill and Derrick Gragg didn’t even have the balls to show up in person to tell the team. Too busy on vacation to even care. Embarrassing administration https://t.co/9oPbVnWd46
— Marshall Lang (@marshalllang88) July 11, 2023
A California native entering his second year in the program, Peyton Warford likewise chimed in on Twitter to wish Northwestern athletics director Derrick Gragg and the school's president, Michael H. Schill, "well" on vacation while suggestion for future coaching firings that at least one of the duo be present.
Less than an hour before Fitzgerald's Monday evening dismissal, Wildcats defensive back Evan Smith, a Birmingham, Alabama, native, penned a poignant message on Twitter that cited Fitzgerald's as an overarching reason in Smith's decision to move "10 hours from home" to attend Northwestern and play football for the Wildcats.
"I look up to Coach Fitz and I value him as both a man and my head coach," Smith wrote. "As an African American, I have felt no different and been treated no differently than any other members of the team."
— Evan Smith (@evansmityy) July 10, 2023
Fitzgerald released his own statement later Monday night in which he revealed that he had secured the services of legal representation "to protect my rights in accordance with the law."
Former Northwestern players, from those in the NFL to other vocations, also have continued to chime in with overwhelming support of 'Coach Fitz':
🧵My 5 years under @coachfitz51 as a Northwestern walk on to eventual team captain were incredibly formative for me as a young man. Coach Fitz emphasized respect, honesty and honoring NU. (1/7) https://t.co/kFSwrtvg4y
— Austin Carr (@ayeseeme) July 10, 2023
The way that this whole thing played out with @coachfitz51 is absolutely ridiculous!
— Joe Jones (@FamilyMan_Joe43) July 11, 2023
The NUMBER ONE reason that I chose to attend NU was because of this man! A tremendous leader, phenomenal coach, and a man who truly cares about his players and their loved ones. https://t.co/O3XQKOqtW0
Coach Fitz is the definition of a players coach and one that I’ve always described as being exactly who he portrays himself to be. During the 5 years I played for him he consistently lived up to the standards he commanded from us as players.
— IC (@ibraheim24) July 9, 2023
Fitz emphasized integrity, sacrificing for others, respect, and accountability. These are values that I strive to uphold now as a husband and father. While I won’t speak for anyone else, I can say that my experience at NU did not reflect what I read in the Daily Northwestern. https://t.co/RpbL3ib1eN
— Trevor Siemian (@TrevorSiemian) July 9, 2023