Eight former Northwestern football players have retained noted civil rights attorney Ben Crump and a Chicago-based law firm to pursue legal action against the school for the hazing incidents that took place within the program.
Crump and the Levin & Perconti firm say they have discovered "a vast array of incidents of abuse" within the Northwestern program. Northwestern conducted a six-month investigation into hazing allegations within the program, announcing July 7 that claims from a former player were largely substantiated but that coaches were not aware of the incidents. After initially suspending head coach Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay, Northwestern fired Fitzgerald on July 10.