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* Danny Parkins at 670 The Score…
In his first season leading the Northwestern baseball program, coach Jim Foster created a toxic environment that has run off coaches, broken the spirit of his team and led to a human resources investigation by the university regarding his alleged bullying and verbally abusive behavior, nine sources told 670 The Score.
As part of the toxic culture, Foster discouraged players from seeking medical attention for their injuries, made racially insensitive comments and made an inappropriate comment to a female staff member. Northwestern’s internal investigation didn’t find enough evidence to corroborate all of the allegations, but the university didn’t speak with players on the team while looking into the allegations, sources said.
Northwestern pitchers, in particular, hid their injuries from Foster this past season due to his demanding nature, and they instead sought treatment from trainer Josh Kuester away from the field, sources said. One Northwestern player had an elbow injury and pushed too hard to return because Foster wanted him back by a certain date. That player ended up needing Tommy John surgery. Foster also told multiple upperclassmen that they should quit if they didn’t return from injury sooner than expected, sources said. […]
One player detailed to 670 The Score how he was the subject of a punishment run for nearly the entirety of a 2 1/2-hour practice last fall. After that, in November, the HR complaint was filed against Foster, and the university began monitoring him more closely, though toxic culture didn’t stop, sources said. […]
This isn’t the first time that Foster has found himself in a concerning situation regarding his players’ physical well-being. Foster was the head coach of the Rhode Island program from 2006-’14. In October 2011, a player on his team died following a strength and conditioning workout outdoors. The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the university, and it was settled for $1.45 million.
Other Northwestern baseball coaches and staffers made repeated attempts to meet with athletic director Derrick Gragg to detail the toxic culture and medical mistreatment, but they were repeatedly denied a chance to meet with him, sources said. […]
Foster was hired in June 2022 by Northwestern, which went 10-40 this past season. The Wildcats have about 15 players who plan to transfer, sources said. […]
The nine sources that spoke with 670 The Score were comprised of former coaches, current and former players and others close to the program. [Emphasis added.]
Foster denies everything. Go read the whole story.
* More on athletic director Derrick Gragg in the Tribune…
The last week of turmoil surrounding Northwestern’s football and baseball programs has thrown a spotlight on one key administrator — athletic director Derrick Gragg.
The university fired longtime football coach Pat Fitzgerald on Monday in the wake of a hazing scandal. Now, the department is facing a similar choice after accusations of a toxic workplace and problematic behavior were levied against head baseball coach Jim Foster. […]
When Northwestern announced Jim Foster as the new head baseball coach last June, Gragg cited Foster’s “combination of on-field success and student-athlete development” at West Point as the deciding factor in the hire. He added that “the future of Wildcats baseball is exceptionally bright with Jim at the helm.”
But within months, the program had begun to fall apart. A collection of current and former players, alumni and people close to the program told the Tribune they reported problematic behavior dating back to last fall to the university, which prompted an HR investigation. Complaints of Foster’s behavior detailed to the Tribune included an intimidating workplace environment, expletive-filled tirades directed at staffers, and pressure on players to forego medical advice on injuries to maintain their roster spots.
* In related news…
(Raises hand)
My guess to the answer to Mr. Webb's thought process is:
Because failure to monitor & being ignorant to hazing in your program's locker room over several years is an acceptable reason to fire with cause. https://t.co/0hV1SdGxBn
— Matthew Stevens (@matthewcstevens) July 11, 2023
* Two Northwestern recruits have decommitted from the football program since the scandal broke. NBC Sports…
According to social media, Greenville, South Carolina offensive lineman Julius Tate was the first to decommit from the school on Tuesday: […]
First I Would Like To Say Thank You To The Entire Staff At The University Of Northwestern. Thank You For Giving Me The Opportunity and Believing Me.
With That Being Said I Will Re-assess My Collegiate Decision and Hurts To Say I Will Be Decommitting From Northwestern University. pic.twitter.com/MZrzpBmBUm
— Julius (LB) Tate (@JuliusTate9) July 12, 2023
A short time later, Payton Stewart, an offensive tackle from Kelso High School in Washington, followed suit.
“After talking with my parents and coaches about the news that has broke, I have reconsidered my decision and decided to decommit from Northwestern,” he said.
* An open letter from a group of Northwestern women faculty…
We are a group of tenured Northwestern women faculty who have worked together for several years to improve the university. We have built careers here and care about what happens on campus. In 2021, we drew attention to abuses on the Northwestern cheer squad and to the misguided promotion of Mike Polisky to athletic director after he was implicated in Northwestern’s failure to adequately respond to the cheer team’s experiences of race and gender discrimination and harassment. […]
The athletics department desperately needs long-term institutionalized oversight. Though staffed by professionals who care about athletes’ well-being, the potential for abuse in such high-pressure environments is immense. Students have been paying the price. […]
Is Northwestern Athletics ready to be “showcased”? The university should halt the marketing and focus attention on reforming the athletics department first. The evidence of harassment and abuse across several programs – and high-level efforts to minimize these problems – suggests that we need to get our existing house in order before we expand it. And if the Ryan Field project does go forward, the university must ensure that we invest in our athletes equitably, supporting our women’s teams and ensuring that all athletes can thrive in an atmosphere of gender equity, free of abuse and harassment, as we pointed out in an open letter on May 17.
My colleague Isabel Miller collaborated on this post.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:13 pm
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I recommend going into The Score’s audio archives for the 2:00 hour of the show from Monday, as it contains even more detail in the reporting than in the written piece. And kudos to Danny Parkins for going well beyond the usual sports yapping one expects from talk radio and doing some good, thorough, important reporting.
Comment by Roadrager Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:21 pm
a third player just decommitted, Dillan Johnson of Joliet Catholic.
Comment by Stateville Steve Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:23 pm
The other thing is, based off my observations especially with young folks the way coaching was done “rage, intimidation and yelling” doesn’t seem to be nearly as effective as it was 30 years ago.
Youth change, expectations change.
The “yelling” coaches (most coaches yell at some point) but the ones who have that as their default are generally the least effective ones
Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:32 pm
Sounds like nu needs a new athletic director and baseball coach also….
Comment by Red headed step child Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:33 pm
There are two important things to remember about “B1G time” college athletics when it comes to the big dog coach and the school’s Athletic Director…
The “cart-horse” aspect - ADs like to hire their own coach for the top (basketball or football, depending on the school) as the success of that coach will hinge the most on a new AD
A newly minted AD that keeps that coach (with long term contract intact) is already embracing a culture embedded in the WHOLE athletic department, even hiring coaches that align with that culture, or support coaches continuing to embrace that current culture.
Auburn, as an example, hired a new AD as the boosters waited patiently for the football coaches’ ouster… Alabama changed athletic directors and kept the Saban culture and focus as part of what the athletic department “should be” even with a new AD.
The NU situation *IS* culture, it’s the embraced “Fitzgerald Way”, as a 4-20 coach in the past two years merely needs to fire assistants… and the baseball program’s toxicity seemingly aligns with Fitzgerald’s “military” thoughts.
The Auburn-Alabama opposites highlight that what NU wanted was more Fitzgerald thinking, not less, and Fitzgerald ran the culture, and the AD needed to embrace that.
So, now it’s baseball… or has been for this whole year/season.
It’s an accident, no meeting or consult with the AD for grievances?
There are no accidents.
Ask Auburn, ask Alabama…
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:35 pm
“ Regarding the inappropriate comment toward the female staffer, Foster noted that at Army, females had to wear army uniforms but that they could wear tight pants at Northwestern.”
So it was her fault because of how she dressed, that’s gonna play really well at Northwestern (or any school for that matter).
Also if you are two thick to realize things might be a bit different at a military academy (a military that tells less at its recruits) than at a top tier private university.
Good golly is this dude a dumb banned word.
Also the AD not meeting with folks is a problem.
Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:39 pm
This is insane. How do you do an investigation into the treatment of the players without talking to the players? Why are coaches and staff denied access to the athletic director?
Sounds like people had their fingers in their ears and their eyes closed. “If we don’t listen, it won’t have happened.”
I just hope those young men who decommitted from NU don’t find a similar situation where they end up.
I am not innocent (or ignorant) enough to believe that this sort of thing doesn’t happen elsewhere.
Comment by JoanP Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:44 pm
The transfers on the football team are more likely the result of a popular coach getting fired rather than the hazing allegations.
With that said, NU still made the right decision to fire Fitz.
Comment by Sox Fan Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:44 pm
I’d really love to see NU baseball’s most prominent Illinois elected official alumnus comment on this.
Comment by Phineas Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:44 pm
The most telling line is the quote attributed to the deputy athletic director, speaking to the baseball trainer: “sometimes the right thing to do is not always the best thing to do.” (Reported by Parkins, quoted at https://www.insidenu.com/2023/7/10/23790160/jim-foster-accused-of-toxic-workplace-environment-nine-players-and-staffers-tell-670-the-score.
Not only do Coach Foster and the AD have to go, the University has to assert institutional control over the culture of the athletic department. It also has to figure out why the HR investigation of Coach Foster was not done properly.
Comment by Keyrock Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:47 pm
===NU baseball’s most prominent Illinois elected official alumnus comment===
Subscribe https://capitolfax.com/2023/07/12/subscribers-only-nu-update/
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:49 pm
I am always bothered by this crazy macho nonsense. Like you need to do this type of thing to be a success in sports. To see what a real coach and a real hero is, read this article about the late Frosty Westerling, an ex USMC drill sergeant who was one of the most successful college football coaches of all time by doing exactly the opposite of what nearly all coaches do. It is worth your time: https://vault.si.com/vault/1994/10/31/frosty-the-showman-pacific-lutheran-coach-frosty-westering-proves-you-can-have-fun-and-win
Comment by Paddyrollingstone Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:56 pm
Look at the financier trustees and “rah-rah” culture they are pushing with their donations. That culture needs as much fixing as the locker room culture. NU is listed as a “high average student debt” school in Fiske’s Guide to American Colleges and Universities. If the University aspires to be an Ivy League equivalent, it needs to commit resources to Ivy League-style financial aid, not sports-training palaces on prime lakefront land.
Comment by Ares Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:58 pm
“ Northwestern’s internal investigation didn’t find enough evidence to corroborate all of the allegations, but the university didn’t speak with players on the team while looking into the allegations, sources said.”
Seems inaccurate to describe that as an “internal investigation” and “looking into the allegations.” More like the opposite of those things. Between corporate newspeak, gutted local media, and falling clearance rates, actual investigation is becoming something of a lost art.
Comment by vern Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 12:58 pm
It starts at the very top. Fire the President of Northwestern. If the Coach “should have known,” so should the President have know. Fire him.
Comment by Former Mayor Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 1:00 pm
NU’s president just took office in June, his predecessor passed away before ever taking office, and the next predecessor is retired.
Comment by Ares Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 1:01 pm
This makes me just so upset. My alma mater needs to clean house and fire any and all staff that have anything to do with this.
This is becoming a case study for Kellogg in the self destruction of a brand.
Comment by Honeybear Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 1:09 pm
seconding Roadrager in recommending the Parkins and Spiegel broadcast from Monday, 7/10. this developing story is layered with issues we contemplate on this blog.
Comment by Smh Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 1:24 pm
@OneMan - Foster was hired after the AD turned the coach search over to two prominent boosters. They installed their boy Foster BECAUSE of his military creds - stating they wanted to bring that culture to NU. alas, apparently Foster was considered a joke even at West Point.
Comment by Smh Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 1:30 pm
Agree with you Honeybear. The public response has been atrocious and made the situation much worse.
Comment by Jerry Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 1:42 pm
Ares, just a note on that. According the Schill’s wikipedia page, he started at the beginning of last school year after Blank had to turn down the offer when she first became ill, but the official installation (like a swearing in), did not occur until June. So I think he’s been around for about a year now.
Comment by Juice Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 1:44 pm
They need to clean house. Fire the baseball coach and the AD too spineless to do his job. I long had a feeling that Pat Fitzgerald was a big phony spouting his platitudes about how great his program was. I’m sorry that those young men had to go through that.
Congratulations are in order, however, to the student journalists at Northwestern who have done so much to break this story and make the powerful at their school respond to tough questions about their leadership. They did far more than their famous national sports reporting alumni, some of whom haven’t even brought themselves to comment on the matter, and many of whom were too cozy with Coach Fitzgerald to be objective.
Comment by Ron Burgundy Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 1:49 pm
The AD needs to go.
He was not part of the cheerleading scandal. He came in during the Football investigation and they fired Fitzgerald, after they had first suspended him. So I will give him a pass on that, as he wasn’t around for one and came in at the end for the second.
But he is wholly responsible for the baseball issues. Multiple asst coaches quit, 15 players entering the portal, denying access to medical care, no response to students and coaches in request to have conversations with AD. Graggs has to go just like Fitz had to go just like Foster will have to go.
Sidenote- If Northwestern wanted to be an Ivy League style school they would do it. University of Chicago still has football but it’s not a commodity for the school it’s just another feature, like any other extracurricular.
NU wants to be full Big Ten. It’s why they are treating the high profile sports the way D1 programs usually do. Heavy booster support, new stadiums, new workout facilities, high salaried coaches, massive national scouting. These are all things power conference programs have to do to stay competitive. They used to also have to pay their players under the table before NIL. Most programs don’t have the toxicity that NU is currently going through. But don’t think NU is the only culprit out there.
Comment by Frida's boss Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 1:51 pm
-The transfers on the football team are more likely the result of a popular coach getting fired rather than the hazing allegations.-
Or the incoming freshmen found out how their predecessors were treated, and collectively with their parents decided they didn’t want to be a part of that mess when they had other options.
Comment by Ron Burgundy Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 1:51 pm
- Jim Foster created a toxic environment that has run off coaches, broken the spirit of his team and led to a human resources investigation by the university regarding his alleged bullying and verbally abusive behavior… -
How’s that gonna look on a resume…and as a career legacy?
Comment by Dotnonymous XL Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 1:52 pm
Burn it down, start over. Clean house at every level. Northwestern as a school should value its reputation as an educational institution enough to say “we screwed up, and we’re fixing it.”
Also better to be proactive now and deal with coaches suing over employment than deal with the inevitable civil suits from current/former students who will say that NU management knew of and/or condoned all of this.
Comment by Homebody Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 1:55 pm
Fire the Athletics Director, assistant ADs as necessary, along with Foster and Fitzgerald. No promotions from within the offending programs, and and hire external candidates who are willing to publicly address the sexism and bullying and mental and physical abuse that currently defines Northwestern athletics programs.
Lead, Trustees. By example, be a leader of higher education. Showcase how real change can be done. Presidents hire ADs, so hold your president responsible and accountable. Lead.
Comment by H-W Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 2:03 pm
===It’s why they are treating the high profile sports the way D1 programs usually do. Heavy booster support, new stadiums, new workout facilities, high salaried coaches, massive national scouting. These are all things power conference programs have to do to stay competitive. They used to also have to pay their players under the table before NIL. Most programs don’t have the toxicity that NU is currently going through. But don’t think NU is the only culprit out there.===
tl;dr - “everybody is doing it”
They aren’t. Not everyone is hazing, including in a sexualized way where no one is paying attention or ignoring as boosters run amock.
Nope. That’s not true, it’s not in this discussion too.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 2:04 pm
-Most programs don’t have the toxicity that NU is currently going through. But don’t think NU is the only culprit out there.-
They aren’t, but NU wasn’t a shining light of all that is good and true before this either. Within the past 25 years they had one of the worst point shaving scandals in collegiate sports history, and had a football player die in practice. They have no history to be proud of.
Comment by Ron Burgundy Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 2:07 pm
It really is disgusting how our society has allowed college sports to be a money making business for everyone involved. Coaches are paid obscene amounts of money, athletes get moved to the front of the line for acceptance, and now they can also do endorsements deals. University leaders rely far too much on a sports program to bring in dollars, and are tempted to look away as long as the money flows. Whatever happened to getting an education being the priority.
Comment by Just Me 2 Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 2:17 pm
He’s been gone a long time from the program, and I don’t think he’s obligated to make a statement, but the IL elected I’ve been curious about is Napoleon Harris. So far as I can tell, he’s held off making any statement. But that could mean lots of things, in fairness. I’m not one to think elected officials need to rush to the microphones within 72 hours after a scandal breaks.
Comment by ZC Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 2:22 pm
Pretty ironic how all the fan boy “football is military is football” attitudes come from people who never did/would step foot into the military. Maybe the bone spurs kept them out too . . .
Comment by Now What? Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 2:32 pm
The Score has been doing great reporting and commentary on this all week.
I’m not sure why the rest of the football coaching staff has not gotten launched yet. They were all part of the abusive culture and need to join Fitz on the street.
Comment by SAP Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 2:58 pm
It was always clear that Gragg was just a placeholder with no real authority over Fitz. Let’s remember that two years ago NU initially promoted from within for AD and then their guy got into hot water over….complaints of how he handled allegations of sexism and racism. (He too had been ‘cleared’ after an internal investigation.) After a big media blowback and campus protests, their made guy resigned.
Then they hired Gragg as AD.
There is obviously a long-standing problem within NU athletics about adapting to modern mores. Gragg has shown no sign that he has the ability or the authority to do so. The new president hasn’t inspired much confidence either. Blow it all up. You have already fired the face of NU athletics.
Comment by David Agnew Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 3:14 pm
Rich,
I am so glad you’re focusing on this. I’ve been very frustrated at the coverage that is obsessed with Fitz. Too much of it has ignored the cancer in the baseball program and the athletic director who actively told other coaches and staff to go pound sand because he didn’t want to hear of the problems.
The moment I read this, I was dumbfounded: “Northwestern’s internal investigation didn’t find enough evidence to corroborate all of the allegations, but the university didn’t speak with players on the team while looking into the allegations, sources said.”
And then I read this and I was hopping mad.
“Other Northwestern baseball coaches and staffers made repeated attempts to meet with athletic director Derrick Gragg to detail the toxic culture and medical mistreatment, but they were repeatedly denied a chance to meet with him, sources said.”
Why do any of these people still have their jobs??? And why is that stadium proposal still on the table. NU needs to pull it back and then reintroduce a version without the concerts once they get their house in order.
BTW, throughout this whole thing, Mayor Dan Biss has been invisible. Nowhere to be found. Hiding under his desk. Story after story and he’s unavailable or wouldn’t respond. A true profile in courage. This is consistent with what he’s been doing throughout the process.
Comment by New Day Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 3:17 pm
these stories are shocking. but there’s lots of high school hazing. just google Texas and hazing. think of how much it contributes to violence. spend some time on Twitter. they’ve outed the outcry victim, are attacking the student news writers. and Proft is joining the discussion. icky.
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 4:36 pm
Northwestern football just lost Dillan Johnson as well. The top ranked hvy weight wrestling in the nation and a high 3 star defensive lineman. Switched his commitment to Wisconsin today.
Comment by Seats Wednesday, Jul 12, 23 @ 4:46 pm
Northwestern University can’t decide whether they want to be an Ivy League-caliber academic institution or a state university-caliber tailgate institution.
I get that there is a lot of gold to be made if you succeed in becoming a college football or basketball power house in the third-largest media market in the nation. But at what cost?
University of Chicago seems wise to sit this out while Northwestern and DePaul challenge Bozo for the title of “Chicago’s Biggest Clown.”
Where is the NCAA in all of this? Were there sanctions against the football program or the coach? It seems like the most effective way to rein these programs in is an NCAA ban on Fitzgerald for five years.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Jul 13, 23 @ 6:39 am