The suit also names Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner James J. The lawsuit was submitted in Cook County, Illinois, by the Chicago-based Salvi Law Firm and names as defendants Davis and Gragg as well as the university, its current and former presidents and the board of trustees. Gragg met with the student at her request last year, and as President Schill wrote in a message to the Northwestern community, the University is working to ensure we have in place appropriate accountability for our athletic department.” “Although this incident predated President Schill’s and Athletic Director Gragg’s tenure at the University, each is taking it seriously,” Jon Yates said. Jon Yates said after suspending the coaching staff during an investigation, which confirmed hazing took place, two volleyball games were canceled and mandatory anti-hazing training was implemented. Northwestern spokesperson Jon Yates confirmed the unnamed student made a hazing allegation in March 2021. A year later, in December 2022, the player medically retired from the sport. The school announced in December 2021 that it had signed Davis to a multi-year contract extension. The lawsuit also says the player met with athletic director Derrick Gragg to discuss the culture of the volleyball program but he “did nothing in response” to her concerns.ĭavis did not immediately respond Monday morning to messages seeking comment. Jane Doe says she was isolated from the team and Davis forced her to write an apology letter to trainers. As she did this, the suit says, volleyball coaching staff, team members and trainers watched.Ĭampus police were made aware of the incident, as was the athletic department, the lawsuit says. A day later, on March 2, 2021, the coaches permitted the volleyball team’s captains to pick the punishment: She was forced to run “suicides” in the gym while diving to the floor each time she reached a line on the court. Despite this, she says, Northwestern volleyball coach Shane Davis and an assistant coach informed her she would need to undergo a “punishment” for violating the guidelines. The volleyball player, identified in Monday’s lawsuit as Jane Doe, says she was physically harmed to the point of requiring medical attention during a hazing incident in early 2021.Īccording to the lawsuit, Jane Doe contracted COVID-19 in February of that year, despite following the team’s COVID guidelines. One previous lawsuit accuses Fitzgerald of enabling a culture of racism, including forcing players of color to cut their hair and behave differently to be more in line with the “Wildcat Way.” Lastly, I want protection for future players.”įormer football coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired after a university investigation found allegations of hazing by 11 current or former players, including “forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature,” school President Michael Schill said. Too often, many of us have blamed ourselves for things that were beyond our control. “I want closure for myself and hundreds of other Northwestern football players who suffered in silence. “I want justice for all the victims of this horrific hazing,” Yates said. Nathan Miller, founder and CEO of the communications and public relations firm Miller Ink, said Northwestern communications staff should have checked every detail of the release given the intense scrutiny the university has faced amid hazing allegations on the football team and the firing of longtime head coach Fitzgerald, looming lawsuits and a controversy on the baseball program that led to the dismissal of that team’s first-year head coach Jim Foster.Crump called this college sports’ “Me Too” moment. Meanwhile, the July 14 news release on Northwestern’s website appears to have been updated to remove the line about Braun’s master’s degree. Kennedy did not respond to a Tribune request to interview Braun for this story. That practice became more common after 2001, when newly hired Notre Dame head football coach George O’Leary resigned days after he was hired following the discovery that his resume included false information about his playing career at the University of New Hampshire and about his earning a master’s from New York University.īraun did not return a phone message Thursday seeking comment, and did not answer when called again Friday. It’s also unclear whether athletics communications staff at Northwestern, or Braun’s other employers, gave him an opportunity to review any news releases or biographical information about him prior to public dissemination.
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