Northwestern hires former AG Loretta Lynch to lead review of athletics department culture
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Northwestern University has enlisted former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to lead an independent review of the culture within the athletics department, and the school's ability to "detect, report and respond to potential misconduct," including hazing, bullying, or discrimination.
Vowing the results of her investigation will be made public, Northwestern said Lynch will make sure the culture within the athletics program "is consistent with the University's mission and values as a leading academic institution."
"Hazing has absolutely no place at Northwestern. Period," said Northwestern President Michael Schill. "I am determined that with the help of Attorney General Lynch, we will become a leader in combating the practice of hazing in intercollegiate athletics and a model for other universities. We will provide all of our students with the resources and support they need and do whatever is necessary to protect their safety and ensure that our athletics program remains one we can all be proud of."
Lynch was appointed as U.S. attorney general by former President Barack Obama in 2015, and was replaced in 2017 by Jeff Sessions when former President Donald Trump took office. Before that, she served for decades as the top federal prosecutor in the eastern district of New York.
The move to hire Lynch to review the athletics department comes three weeks after Northwestern fired football coach Pat Fitzgerald over a hazing scandal that has seen at least six former players file lawsuits accusing the school of negligence.
The lawsuits have detailed hazing within the football program, including claims of sexual abuse.
Several former players have come forward to accuse coaches and trainers of either witnessing acts of hazing, or ignoring their concerns when informed about hazing incidents. Some lawsuits also accuse some assistant coaches, who are still with the team, of witnessing the forced acts.
Fitzgerald, who led Northwestern for 17 seasons and was a star linebacker for the Wildcats, has maintained he had no knowledge of hazing. Fitzgerald said after being fired that he was working with his agent, Bryan Harlan and his lawyer, Dan Webb, to "protect my rights in accordance with the law."
"Frankly, it's the only alternative they have," said investigative reporter Billy Moushey. "What other alternatives are there?"
Moushey co-wrote "Game Over: Jerry Sandusky, Penn State, and the Culture of Silence," a book chronicling the sex abuse scandal inside Penn State University's football program. He said Northwestern is following a similar playbook. Penn State brought in former FBI Director Louis Freeh to investigate what was going on.
"He did a scathing report on it," Moushey said. "But my impression up at Penn State was that no one believed it and no one wanted to accept it. They were just hoping to put this behind them, and to some degree, they have."
Moushey added that Lynch's hiring isn't as important as what Northwestern does with her findings.
"They always do make changes from the reports that are issued," he said. "It's a matter of how far they want to go and that's what we're going to watch."
Before her report is made public, Lynch will provide periodic updates to the university president and Board of Trustees.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing multiple former Northwestern athletes suing the school, said in a statement that the announcement of Lynch's new investigation "raises more questions than answers."
"Can we assume this means the University believes the first investigation which led to the firing of former Wildcats head football coach Pat Fitzgerald was flawed, or not thorough enough?" Crump said. "And if the University is dedicated to transparency as they say, then why are the findings of the first investigation yet to be made public? We have to wonder if this is nothing more than an effort to counteract negative press, and more importantly, the growing number of former Northwestern football players filing lawsuits against the University."
At least one former Northwestern volleyball player also has sued the university, claiming she was retaliated against by the coach for reporting her mistreatment. According to her lawsuit, she was physically harmed to the point of requiring medical attention during a hazing incident in early 2021.
The school has previously announced that, after the independent investigation that led to Fitzgerald being fired, new steps were being taken to protect student-athletes - including monitoring of the football locker room, anti-hazing training, and the establishment of an online reporting tool for complaints.f
