Pat Fitzgerald Lawsuit, $130M Settlement Reached – Now Hired as Michigan State Coach
Pat Fitzgerald settled his $130 million wrongful termination lawsuit against Northwestern University in August 2025, with the school acknowledging that evidence “did not establish that any player reported hazing” to him or that he “condoned or directed any hazing.” Three months later, Michigan State hired Fitzgerald on November 30, 2025, making him the Spartans’ new head coach just hours after firing Jonathan Smith.
What Was the Pat Fitzgerald Lawsuit About?
Fitzgerald sued Northwestern for $130 million in October 2023, claiming wrongful termination, breach of contract, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress after the university fired him in July 2023 amid a hazing scandal. The lawsuit challenged Northwestern’s decision to fire him despite its own investigation finding no evidence he knew about hazing in the program.
The case was scheduled to go to trial in November 2025 before the parties reached a confidential settlement in August.
Why Was Fitzgerald Fired?
Northwestern fired Fitzgerald on July 10, 2023, after 17 seasons as head coach, saying 11 current or former football players acknowledged hazing that included “forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature.”
The university originally suspended Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay after its investigation concluded in early July 2023. But President Michael Schill reversed course three days later in an open letter, stating the coach was responsible for the team’s culture and should have known the hazing occurred.
The Hazing Allegations
An independent investigation by former Illinois Inspector General Maggie Hickey began in December 2022 after an anonymous email sent a complaint at the end of the 2022 season. The inquiry revealed 11 players, past and present, said hazing was ongoing in the program.
The investigation found incidents including:
- Forced participation in sexualized acts
- Nudity and degrading behavior
- A practice called “running” where players were restrained and subjected to degrading treatment
Northwestern President Schill said in a July 2023 letter that the investigator “didn’t find any credible evidence that Coach Fitzgerald himself knew about it.”
Fitzgerald’s Claims in the Lawsuit
Fitzgerald’s October 2023 lawsuit alleged Northwestern engaged in “callous and outrageous misconduct in destroying his career.” His legal team contended he had an agreement with school leadership that he would not face additional punishment beyond the two-week suspension but was fired days later.
The lawsuit claimed:
- Breach of Contract: Northwestern violated his employment agreement by firing him without cause
- Defamation: The school’s public statements damaged his reputation
- Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress: The handling of his termination caused severe harm to him and his family
Fitzgerald maintained he had “no knowledge of hazing ever occurring in the Northwestern football program, and that I never directed or encouraged hazing in any way.”
The $130 Million Settlement
Northwestern and Fitzgerald reached a settlement in August 2025, just months before the case was scheduled for trial. The specific financial terms were not disclosed.
In announcing the settlement, both parties released statements acknowledging key facts:
Northwestern’s Statement: “While the litigation brought to light highly inappropriate conduct in the football program and the harm it caused, the evidence uncovered during extensive discovery did not establish that any player reported hazing to Coach Fitzgerald or that Coach Fitzgerald condoned or directed any hazing. Moreover, when presented with the details of the conduct, he was incredibly upset and saddened by the negative impact this conduct had on players within the program.”
Fitzgerald’s Statement: “For the past two years, I have engaged in a process of extensive fact and expert discovery, which showed what I have known and said all along—that I had no knowledge of hazing ever occurring in the Northwestern football program, and that I never directed or encouraged hazing in any way.”
What Fitzgerald Said About the Settlement
Fitzgerald acknowledged learning through discovery that “some hazing did occur in the football program at Northwestern” and expressed disappointment that “members of the team engaged in this behavior and that no one reported it to me.”
He added: “Though I maintain Northwestern had no legal basis to terminate my employment for cause under the terms of my Employment Agreement, in the interest of resolving this matter and, in particular, to relieve my family from the stress of ongoing litigation, Northwestern and I have agreed to a settlement, and I am satisfied with the terms of the settlement.”
Timeline of the Pat Fitzgerald Case
December 2022: Anonymous complaint triggers investigation into hazing
Early July 2023: Investigation concludes; Fitzgerald suspended for two weeks without pay
July 10, 2023: Northwestern fires Fitzgerald after The Daily Northwestern publishes detailed hazing allegations
October 2023: Fitzgerald files $130 million lawsuit against Northwestern and President Michael Schill
April 2025: Northwestern settles lawsuits with 34 former players who alleged hazing
May 2025: Trial date set for November 2025
August 21, 2025: Northwestern and Fitzgerald announce settlement; terms not disclosed
November 6, 2025: Fitzgerald speaks publicly for first time, says he feels “100% vindicated”
November 30, 2025: Michigan State hires Fitzgerald as head coach
Northwestern President’s Resignation
Two weeks after the Fitzgerald settlement was announced, Northwestern President Michael Schill resigned. Schill, who made the decision to fire Fitzgerald, was a named defendant in the lawsuit and did not participate in the settlement process.
The university has not publicly connected Schill’s resignation to the Fitzgerald settlement.
Other Hazing Lawsuits Settled
In addition to Fitzgerald’s lawsuit, Northwestern faced multiple lawsuits from former football players alleging hazing, sexual abuse, and racial discrimination during Fitzgerald’s tenure.
In April 2025, the school settled 34 remaining lawsuits filed by former players tied to the hazing allegations. The terms of those settlements were also not disclosed.
The hazing scandal extended beyond football, with allegations across multiple sports including sexual abuse by teammates and racist comments by coaches.
Legal Basis for Fitzgerald’s Claims
Breach of Contract
Fitzgerald’s employment agreement reportedly protected him from termination without cause. His lawyers argued Northwestern violated this contract by firing him after initially agreeing to a two-week suspension.
Under Illinois employment law, when an employee has a written contract, employers must honor the terms or face breach of contract claims.
Defamation
Fitzgerald claimed Northwestern’s public statements damaged his reputation by suggesting he knew about or condoned hazing. Defamation requires proving false statements that harm someone’s reputation.
Northwestern’s post-settlement acknowledgment that evidence “did not establish” he knew about hazing supports Fitzgerald’s position that initial public statements were misleading.
Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
This claim alleged Northwestern’s conduct was so extreme and outrageous it caused severe emotional harm. Fitzgerald stated the “rush to judgment in the media in July of 2023 and the reports that suggested I knew about and directed hazing are false and have caused me, my wife, and my three sons great stress, embarrassment, and reputational harm.”
Fitzgerald Feels “100% Vindicated”
Speaking on ESPN’s “College GameDay” podcast in November 2025—his first public comments since being fired—Fitzgerald said he feels “100% vindicated” by the settlement.
“I was looking forward to” addressing the team about the hazing, Fitzgerald said. “I was not given that opportunity. That is a regret that I have. I would have loved to have been able to do that. I would have been the right person to help those guys through it.”
His agent, Bryan Harlan of Excel Sports, stated: “It was a lengthy process, but we’re very, very satisfied with the terms of the settlement. Coach Fitzgerald is eager to resume his coaching career.”
Michigan State Hires Fitzgerald
On November 30, 2025—just hours after firing Jonathan Smith—Michigan State moved swiftly to hire Fitzgerald as its new head coach. The hire came three months after the Northwestern settlement and marks Fitzgerald’s return to coaching after a two-year absence.
Athletic Director J Batt fired Smith after the Spartans finished 4-8 (1-8 in Big Ten play), stating “The 2025 football season has not lived up to our shared standards for Michigan State Football.”
Fitzgerald, 50, brings significant Big Ten experience:
- 110-101 record in 17 seasons at Northwestern
- Two Big Ten West championships (2018, 2020)
- 10 bowl appearances, 5 bowl victories
- 64 Big Ten wins (Northwestern program record)
An announcement is expected this week, with Fitzgerald set to take over immediately ahead of the early signing period.
Fitzgerald’s Northwestern Legacy
Fitzgerald spent 26 years at Northwestern—first as an All-America linebacker who helped the Wildcats win the 1995 Big Ten championship and reach the Rose Bowl, then as a defensive assistant, and finally as head coach from 2006-2023.
His 110 wins are the most in program history. He turned down opportunities at Michigan in 2011 and several NFL overtures to remain at Northwestern.
Northwestern noted in its settlement statement: “Northwestern is proud of Coach Fitzgerald’s team’s success on the field as well as its success in the classroom. Northwestern football had the highest graduation rate of any Division 1 football program from 2016-2022.”
Implications for Employment Law and Higher Education
The Fitzgerald case highlights several legal issues for universities and coaches:
For Coaches
- Written employment contracts provide protection against arbitrary termination
- Defamation claims can succeed when universities make misleading public statements
- Settlement negotiations can vindicate reputation even without trial
For Universities
- Investigations must establish what coaches actually knew, not just what they should have known
- Initial disciplinary decisions (like suspensions) create expectations that can’t easily be reversed
- Public statements during investigations must be carefully crafted to avoid defamation claims
Hazing Liability
Universities face legal exposure both from victims of hazing and from coaches terminated in response to hazing scandals. Northwestern settled lawsuits from both groups.
What Happens Next?
Fitzgerald begins his tenure at Michigan State immediately, taking over a program that went 9-15 under Smith and 4-14 in Big Ten play. He’ll have days to evaluate the roster and recruiting class before the early signing period.
Michigan State owes Smith more than $30 million under his seven-year contract, adding financial pressure to make the Fitzgerald hire successful.
Fitzgerald told ESPN he’s been preparing for this opportunity: “I feel very fortunate. I feel fully vindicated. It’s been great working through this process. There’s been conversations with a lot of folks. It’s been face-to-face, it’s been on Zoom, it’s been phone calls. [My candidacy has] been received very well.”
Frequently Asked Questions About the Pat Fitzgerald Lawsuit
How much was the Pat Fitzgerald settlement?
The settlement amount was not disclosed. Fitzgerald originally sued for $130 million, but both parties agreed to keep the final terms confidential.
Did Northwestern admit wrongdoing?
Northwestern acknowledged that “inappropriate conduct in the football program did occur” but stated that evidence “did not establish that any player reported hazing to Coach Fitzgerald or that Coach Fitzgerald condoned or directed any hazing.”
Why did Northwestern fire Fitzgerald if he didn’t know about hazing?
President Schill initially said Fitzgerald “should have known” about the hazing given his responsibility for team culture, even though the investigation found no evidence he actually knew. Fitzgerald’s lawsuit challenged this reasoning.
What happened to the Northwestern president who fired Fitzgerald?
Michael Schill resigned two weeks after the settlement was announced in August 2025. The university has not publicly connected his resignation to the settlement.
Can Fitzgerald coach again after the hazing scandal?
Yes. Michigan State hired Fitzgerald on November 30, 2025, three months after the settlement. Northwestern’s statement wished him “the best in resuming his football career.”
Were other lawsuits filed over Northwestern hazing?
Yes. Northwestern settled 34 lawsuits from former players in April 2025 who alleged hazing, sexual abuse, and racial discrimination. Those settlement terms were also confidential.
What was Fitzgerald’s record at Northwestern?
Fitzgerald went 110-101 over 17 seasons (2006-2023) with two Big Ten West titles and 10 bowl appearances. His 110 wins are a program record.
Did the lawsuit go to trial?
No. The case was scheduled for trial in November 2025 but the parties settled in August 2025.
What is Fitzgerald doing now?
Fitzgerald is the new head coach at Michigan State, hired on November 30, 2025, just hours after the school fired Jonathan Smith.
Disclaimer: This article provides information about the Pat Fitzgerald lawsuit and does not constitute legal advice. If you’re facing similar employment or defamation issues, consult with a qualified attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.
About the Author
Sarah Klein, JD, is a licensed attorney and legal content strategist with over 12 years of experience across civil, criminal, family, and regulatory law. At All About Lawyer, she covers a wide range of legal topics — from high-profile lawsuits and courtroom stories to state traffic laws and everyday legal questions — all with a focus on accuracy, clarity, and public understanding.
Her writing blends real legal insight with plain-English explanations, helping readers stay informed and legally aware.
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