It has nearly been a month since Northwestern's initial hazing investigation concluded and players have started to take their allegations from the court of public opinion to the court of law.
With so many parties involved, anonymously or otherwise, it can be difficult to keep track of the pending litigation against Northwestern, its past and present administrators, and former head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Here is list of the lawsuits related to the hazing investigation, organized by the date each was filed. We will continue to update this article as cases emerge, change or conclude.
July 24
Lloyd Yates
Attorney Ben Crump, Levin & Perconti's managing partner Margaret Black and attorney Steven Levin file a lawsuit on behalf of Lloyd Yates, a quarterback-turned-wide receiver at Northwestern from 2015-17.
"The lawsuit details three counts of negligence, willful and wanton disregard for player safety and well-being, and violation of Illinois’ Gender Violence Act."
The suit is first to allege that associate head coach and safeties coach Matt MacPherson witnessed hazing take place, and that two assistant coaches "participated in the hazing as recipients of forced sexual conduct". It also alleges that Yates and other players received messages from current coaches to support Fitzgerald publicly in the aftermath of his firing.
July 27
Simba Short
Crump and Black file a lawsuit on behalf of Simba Short, a linebacker at Northwestern from 2015-16 before he medically retired.
The lawsuit alleges that Short went through "frequent locker room harassment, unwanted physical and sexual contact, and was degraded and bullied by coaches and other players after undergoing surgery to repair an injured shoulder."
He alleges he and others were forced to take part in a tradition known as the "Dredge," which he recalls ended with players violently throwing up. He also alleges that he witnessed a player being "ran" while held upside down, underwater in an ice bath.
The statement continues to say that the mental health crisis from witnessing and experiencing hazing led to an attempt in self harm and hospitalization. Afterwards, Short had a conversation with Fitzgerald, who recommended he medically retire.
July 28
John Doe 1
Crump and Black file a lawsuit on behalf of an anonymous former Northwestern football player. The lawsuit alleges that he was sexually abused during a hazing incident as a 17-year-old freshman, when he was a minor.
Crump's quotes signal his ongoing effort to broaden the scope of their legal efforts beyond Northwestern.
“This is just the beginning. We will file more lawsuits against Northwestern next week and in the weeks following. This is much bigger than just a few players. Hundreds of players were victimized over the years,” Crump said. “Despite being scared of retribution and embarrassed by the nature of the sexual abuse they suffered, more players continue to contact us every day. This is truly a “Me Too” moment for college athletes.”
July 31:
Warren Miles Long and John Doe 2
Crump and the firm of Levin & Perconti filed two lawsuits, one on behalf of former running back and linebacker Warren Miles Long, who played from 2013-17, and another on behalf of a second anonymous player, against Northwestern.
"Their lawsuits against Northwestern University include three counts of negligence, willful and wanton disregard for player safety and well-being, and violation of Illinois’ Gender Violence Act."
Long alleges he was targeted for sexual abuse as a freshman at Camp Kenosha in 2013 and forced into hazing practices like "running" and the "car wash". In the press release, Crump and other attorneys write that Long was a member of the team's leadership council and brought complaints and concerns about football and his personal life to Fitzgerald, who told him to blow it off and not make a big deal out of it.
John Doe 2 alleges that he went through the "car wash" at Camp Kenosha, was "run" more than 10 times his first season, and that he and other players were forced to do naked exercises and drills. He is the second player to allege in a lawsuit that MacPherson witnessed the naked exercises and incidents.
August 1:
Loretta Lynch investigation announced
Northwestern announced a new investigation, to be conducted by former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch, into "processes and accountability mechanisms in place at the University to detect, report and respond to potential misconduct in its athletics programs, including hazing, bullying and discrimination of any kind."
Ramon Diaz
Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. and co-counsel The Stinar Law Firm filed a lawsuit against Northwestern on behalf of Ramon Diaz, a Northwestern offensive lineman from 2005-08. Diaz alleges he was "subjected to hazing, sexual and physical abuse, racial discrimination, and other dehumanizing acts."
Diaz and his attorneys name Northwestern, its Board of Trustees, Fitzgerald and former athletics director Jim Phillips as defendants.
His attorneys allege that "when Diaz was still a minor, he was forced to participate in a hazing tradition called “the carwash,” in which players lined up naked, covered in soap, spinning around at 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."
Diaz was the first player to publicly step forward and put his name to an allegation of hazing against the program in a July 10 article by the Daily Northwestern.
August 3:
John Does 3 and 4
The law firms of Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge and Romanucci & Blandin announce two new cases filed on behalf of anonymous players against Northwestern. The players played during the 2004-05 seasons.
The players allege that Black players were forced to participate in a "watermelon eating contest" and that one had their hair cut against their will. They also allege that Fitzgerald's role as linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator just six years out of the program evidenced his knowledge of the events.
"The complaints include counts for Negligence and Willful and Wanton Conduct as to Northwestern, and counts for Negligence as to the following: (1) Patrick Fitzgerald, who served as Northwestern’s Linebackers Coach from 2001 to 2005 and Head Coach from 2006 to 2023; (2) Henry S. Bienen, who was Northwestern’s President from 1995 to 2009; (3) Mark Murphy, who was Northwestern’s Athletic Director from 2003 to 2007; and (4) the Northwestern Board of Trustees."
Tom Carnifax and John Doe 5
Crump and the firm of Levin & Perconti filed two lawsuits, one on behalf of Tom Carnifax, a former defensive end who played from 2016-19, and another anonymous player, the fifth anonymous player overall.
ESPN's Adam Rittenberg said in a post that Carnifax alleges he was hazed and "bullied, belittled and ostracized by coaches due to injuries."
October 5:
Pat Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald was fired for cause by Northwestern, as announced by university president Michael Schill on July 10. Fitzgerald has since retained attorney Dan Webb of Winston & Strawn LLP.
That same firm filed a lawsuit on Fitzgerald's behalf for "breach of oral contract, breach of his employment contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation, false light, and tortious interference with a business expectancy."
FItzgerald alleges that his original two-week suspension was agreed upon by him and President Schill, and that Northwestern received no new information in the interim between his initial suspension and firing.
Fitzgerald's contract is not public, but it is estimated that he was owed upwards of $40 million through 2031 at the time of his firing.
He is seeking more than $130 million in compensatory damages and an unspecified amount in punitive damages.
November 3:
Noah Herron and Rico Lamitte (formerly Frederic Tarver)
Herron, a star running back at Northwestern from 2001-04, and Lamitte, a safety from 2001-05 and a captain, come forward to share stories of racial discrimination and hazing they experienced at Northwestern. Both players played for then-head coach Randy Walker.
Herron and Lamitte said they were threatened with punishments like lack of playing time if they refused to cut their hair to fit the "Wildcat way", something they claimed to be a code for whiteness.
Herron referenced a "Christmas massacre" where Black players were physically punished for an incident that included Black and white players. Herron said the punishment was severe enough that "one of my brothers, a grown man, defecated himself and needed to be carried off the field."
Lawyers representing them said there may be statute of limitations challenges in bringing a lawsuit but more recent players will not face those limitations.
