Let’s Check In On Things With Northwestern Football

Northwestern is about four weeks removed from a calamitous several-day stretch that saw Pat Fitzgerald suspended then ultimately fired as the school and its football program were besieged by scandal.

After the university attempted to sweep the entire matter under the rug with a late-Friday news dump (and the Chicago media obliged), several former players came forward via Northwestern's student newspaper to air graphic, disturbing allegations of hazing within the Wildcats football program heretofore unavailable for public consumption. The resulting public pressure and scrutiny forced Northwestern's administration to change course and dismiss Fitzgerald, just a matter of weeks before fall camp was set to begin.

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First-year defensive coordinator David Braun was named interim head coach, a wise choice given the circumstances and the fact that Braun had no association with the program prior to January, meaning he isn't sullied by the alleged time-honored hazing practices within Northwestern's football program. It's not an ideal situation for Braun, who came to Evanston in January after winning multiple national championships as defensive coordinator at FCS North Dakota State.

Let's check in on Northwestern football one week into fall camp:

Oh boy.

I wonder how that's going over.

Certainly the people at the top at Northwestern didn't condone this.

Right?

...

Right?!

Northwestern athletic director Derrick Gragg was also reportedly in attendance at Wednesday's practice, meaning he's aware of the shirts and, ostensibly, supports the coaches and players wearing them.

The Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern is one of the very best in the world at training and producing reporters. Apparently, Northwestern does not possess such savvy when it comes to public relations or basic human decency.