What does Pat Fitzgerald's suspension mean for NU?

Eight months after a whistleblower stepped forward to the athletics department with allegations of hazing, an outside investigation into the claims found them credible and head coach Pat Fitzgerald was suspended by Northwestern for two weeks without pay.

The statement and executive summary released by the university today stated that the investigation did not uncover evidence pointing to specific misconduct by any individual player or coach. However, participation in and knowledge of the hazing activities was "widespread". Sufficient evidence was not discovered that the coaching staff knew of the hazing, but there were "significant opportunities to discover and report the hazing conduct."

As of now, Fitzgerald is the only coach to be disciplined. He provided a statement at the end of the university's release:

“I was very disappointed when I heard about the allegations of hazing on our football team,” Fitzgerald said. “Although I was not aware of the alleged incidents, I have spoken to University officials, and they informed me of a two-week suspension, effective immediately.

“Northwestern football prides itself on producing not just athletes, but fine young men with character befitting the program and our University. We hold our student-athletes and our program to the highest standards; we will continue to work to exceed those standards moving forward.”

Moving forward, Fitzgerald's suspension will likely have a minimal impact on team operations or performance. With the details of the credible allegations or the investigation's findings protected by confidentiality, it is difficult to determine how serious the allegations were, and if Fitzgerald's suspension is a slap on the wrist or genuine accountability.

It certainly comes at one of the most opportune times in the college football schedule: the July dead period. Recruits can't take official visits, the team isn't practicing and Northwestern's Week 1 matchup with Rutgers is 58 days away.

If a head coach could pick two weeks out of the year to miss, there's a good chance it would be right now. Fitzgerald will be reinstated on July 21, in time for a week to prepare before the start of preseason camp. The only downside is that he'll come back just before the start of Big Ten Media Days on July 26-27, when this will be a very public topic of conversation.

But the suspension won't affect a single practice or game. When those times comes, Fitzgerald will be right back in the Walter Athletic Center, and right back on the sidelines.

This will affect Northwestern's reputation, however. It's a bad look for the program and for Fitzgerald, who constantly touts its culture. He has been a broken record while winning just four of 24 games over the last two seasons: the buck stops with him. He takes accountability for his program, top to bottom.

Now, there's a different tune, featuring "I was not aware" and "I'm very disappointed". It is unclear from the university's statements when this incident or incidents took place, but it happened under Fitzgerald's watch. Every part of the Wildcat program is designed to his specifications, every coach and player has been brought in at his discretion. It is hard to see him not guilty of either negligence or ignorance in this matter.

At the same time, we have to hope that if the allegations were more serious, he would have served his suspension during the season, and the players involved would also have been punished.

The university was informed of a problem within its marquee athletic program, promptly started an outside investigation headed by a former inspector general of the state of Illinois, gathered expansive evidence, and concluded that investigation with a punishment levied on its head coach. It seems like it all went as it should have.

But regardless of the outcome, the investigation and resulting suspension remains yet another negative for a program desperate for positives as they try to right a ship that has veered off course both on and now, apparently, off the field.

The Wildcats have four wins over the past two years and have won just two of their last 18 Big Ten games. Their Class of 2024 is currently ranked 54th in the nation and 13th in the Big Ten. Conference expansion with two new West Coast powers looms, and they're trying to sell Evanston on an $800 million new stadium. The last thing that the program needed was another black eye.

Fitzgerald's suspension will almost assuredly be lost like tears in the rain once the season starts. That's the way it works across college football; it all comes down to what happens on the field. The problem for the Wildcats is that what's happened on the field recently hasn't been good, either.

This suspension is just adding fuel to the fire of the notion that maybe what this program needs isn't a rebuild. It's a reset.